Calvin Harris has filed an arbitration demand alleging that his former financial advisor duped him out of $22.5million (£16.1m) to fund a real estate project, it is reported.
The One Kiss hitmaker, 41, alleges Thomas St. John ‘systematically’ took advantage of Harris, whose real name is Adam Wiles, and his investment into the project, which was meant to be a 460,000 square foot development, coined CMNTY Culture Campus.
The Hollywood real estate project would be for musicians, recording engineers, entertainers and creatives, and would include recording studios, lounges and office spaces, according to People, who have obtained the arbitration demand.
The document, filed at the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, on Friday September 12, claims that in 2020 St John created the project, and a year later sought investments. In 2023, he allegedly became short on cash and reached out to Harris, who he’d worked with for over 10 years.
Wiles alleges St John took advantage of their relationship to sign $22.5 million over to the project in the DJ’s name, as per Billboard.
Of this investment, the outlet reports $10m (£7.32m) was in the form of a loan, which Wiles claims was never paid back. The rest was an equity stake in the project, which Wiles alleges was ‘at best, a complete boondoggle, and, at worst, a complete fraud’.
St. John ‘did not reveal his true intentions’, the arbitration demand alleges, claiming that they ‘provided no context or information whatsoever’.
Instead, it claims Wiles was sent DocuSign forms to sign that were ‘materially misleading’.
‘To this day, Claimants do not know where Claimants’ investment has gone or what it has been used for,’ Wiles’ lawyers claim.
What is an arbitration demand?
An arbitration demand is a formal request between the involved parties to have the matter decided by an arbitrator or panel of arbitrators rather than a judge or jury.
In 2024, the project’s purpose shifted -a change it’s claimed was not discussed with Wiles promptly – to creating ‘residential housing’ due to ‘shifting market dynamics’, per Billboard.
Sasha Frid, St. John’s attorney, said in a statement to People that Wiles is one of ‘several investors’ in the project set to include 750 apartments in two towers of 34 and 38 stories. It’s also due to include 90 low-income units ‘as well as outdoor, creative, and retail spaces’.
A lawyer for St. John, Sasha Frid, said in a statement to Billboard on Monday that his client ‘denies any wrongdoing’ and that Wiles ‘actively pursued’ an investment in the project.
‘Unhappy with the pace of the project, he chose to pursue private arbitration to assert his discontent,’ said Frid.
‘It’s no secret that due to interest rates and other market factors real estate projects are taking longer to build. But the development is very much viable and expected to have a $900+ million valuation when completed.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.