Celebrity DJ and E! News music correspondent Clinton Sparks is suing the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, claiming it wrongly canceled his lucrative gig there.
An attorney for the Boston entertainer filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas over the "wrongful 'eviction'" of Sparks less than one-third of the way through a "guaranteed" residency.
The lawsuit says the Hard Rock contracted with Sparks in November 2008 as an exclusive resident DJ at Vanity Nightclub for 51 consecutive Saturday nights starting in January 2010. Sparks was to be paid $11,500 per performance for a total of $586,500, the suit says.
The Hard Rock "exploited Sparks’ fame, celebrity contacts and cachet to drive publicity for and attendance at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s newly-launched Vanity Nightclub and HRH Tower,’’ the suit says, adding Sparks had driven business to the hotel-casino earlier by performing regularly in 2008 and 2009 at another club there, Body English.
The suit claims the Hard Rock canceled its deal with Sparks effective April 17, 2010, and then harmed him by announcing he would be replaced by DJ Eric D-Lux.
Multiple Las Vegas nightclubs then chose not to contract with Sparks for fear of violating Sparks’ noncompete agreement with the Hard Rock, the suit alleges.
A message for comment was placed with the Hard Rock on the suit, which alleges breach of contract and other counts and seeks more than $402,000 in damages plus attorney’s fees.