A Los Angeles band claims their tour bus left them in the middle of Texas and took off with their equipment over a lease agreement.
Soren Sarkisyan says in mid-April he leased a touring bus and driver from Tourdog Entertainment and Leasing and its founder, Dave Mabry, to transport him and his fellow Spineshank band members around the country.
In return for the transportation, Sarkisyan made partial payments to Tourdog and Mabry, but still owed a balance on the agreed-upon lease price, according to the complaint filed June 26 in Jefferson County District Court.
Sarkisyan claims Mabry seemed to be fine with the partial payments until May 29 when he refused to transport members of Spineshank any further and evicted them from the bus, the suit states.
When they were kicked off the bus at Jersey Village in Harris County, the band members asked Mabry to at least let them unload their band equipment, but Mabry refused and drove away, the complaint says.
"On information and belief, Mabry stopped later that day in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas, and offloaded the items belonging to Plaintiff and Spineshank, at the Uncle Bob's storage facility located at 250 S. Dowlen Road," the suit states. "It is believed that these items remain there to the date of this filing."
Even though Sarkisyan claims that in spite of sending Mabry a demand for return of his property, the equipment has not yet been returned.
As a result of the incident, the band members claim they incurred additional costs to rent transportation to their remaining scheduled events and lost money from their inability to reach some of their scheduled events.
Sarkisyan is seeking damages in excess of the minimum jurisdictional levels of Jefferson County District Court, plus costs, attorney's fees, pre- and post-judgment interest and other relief to which he may be entitled.
He will be represented by Lionel J. Castro of The Law Office of Lionel J. Castro in Houston.
The case has been assigned to Judge Gary Sanderson, 60th District Court.
Jefferson County District Court case number: B184-411.