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Lil Peep’s mother settles wrongful death lawsuit against First Access Entertainment

By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 20 February 2023

The mother of Lil Peep has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the late rapper’s management company First Access Entertainment, according to Pitchfork.

Lil Peep, real name Gustav Åhr, died in November 2017 of an accidental drugs overdose, aged 21. His mother, Liza Womack, sued First Access in 2019 accusing the company and its associates of negligence and other breaches of contract that contributed to her son’s death.

The management firm, she claimed, “allowed, normalised, and even encouraged and promoted” drug taking on her son’s tours, despite being aware of his addiction issues.

First Access strongly denied the allegations of misconduct. It also argued that the negligence and breach of contract claims that were at the heart of Womack’s lawsuit failed as a matter of law, and therefore the litigation should be dismissed.

However, the judge overseeing the case declined dismissal and the legal battle was due to arrive in court next month.

Had the dispute actually got to court, it seems likely there would have been a number of headline-grabbing allegations that would have portrayed members of Åhr’s artist management and tour management teams in a bad light.

The case would have also put the spotlight on the duty of care owed to artists by their managers, both in legal and ethical terms, which has become more of a talking point in recent years.

Confirming an out of court settlement had been reached, Womack’s lawyer Paul Matiasic told Pitchfork: “Liza has been indefatigable in her pursuit of justice for her son. With the conclusion of the litigation, her focus will shift to shepherding his legacy and continuing to release his music for the enjoyment of his fans”.

While the terms of the settlement are confidential, it seems that Åhr’s family will now be in control of the rapper’s recordings, including those that were released in partnership with First Access, alongside AWAL and Sony Music.

Womack has already been re-releasing material that Åhr originally self-released, and it’s implied that re-release project can now include the music the rapper put out with his management company.

A post on Åhr’s official Instagram profile on Friday read: “Today, Gus’s music came home. From this day forward, his music will be in the care of his mother and brother, and no one else”.

“It is a solemn moment for us as we reflect on the struggles of the past five plus years”, it went on. “We are grateful to all of the fans, friends, professionals and family who stood by us. We were all permanently changed by Gus’s death”.

“We know he should be here in the world with all of us, creating – making whatever he was inspired to make. But he is not. So, we will protect his music with all of our strength”.

It concluded: “We look forward to continuing to release Gus’s music. This is a very important day for us”.