Usher Raymond sued his longtime friend and collaborator, Bryan-Michael Cox, for $4.9 million over an unpaid restaurant loan.
The Grammy-winning singer filed the lawsuit at the Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on November 14.
In court papers obtained by Complex.com, Usher said he loaned nearly $2 million to his friend of 27 years, Bryan-Michael, along with Usher’s close friend, Keith Thomas, and Charles Hughes.
The three friends approached User in 2024 for a loan to purchase land for a high-end restaurant named “Homage ATL” on Piedmont Road in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta.
Usher wired $1.7 million to an escrow account set up by local attorney Alcide Honoré.
Honoré is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Usher said he did not agree to invest in the restaurant with the three men. He only agreed to the short-term loan for the men to purchase the property.
The property purchase fell through, and when the singer asked for his money back in August, he only received $1 million – leaving about $700,000 outstanding.
Usher (left), Bryan-Michael Cox (center) and rapper Bow Wow performed during Ladies Love R&B Live at the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta on September 27. Usher and Bryan-Michael partied together a month after he asked for his money back.
After repeated demands for the remainder of the loan, Alcide Honoré told Usher that the rest of the money was spent on restaurant expenditures.
Usher claimed that Bryan-Michael, a well-known music producer, orchestrated the deal, and his associates “misused” part of the $1.7 million loan. He is suing for $4.9 million in damages, including legal fees and relief.
Bryan-Michael, who produced the hit songs “Confessions Part II” and “U Got It Bad” for Usher, denied the allegations in a post on Instagram.
Bryan-Michael said he did not “orchestrate the failed deal,” was not involved in the transaction and is not part of the ongoing legal dispute. He added that his longtime friendship with Usher is still on good terms.
Lawyers for the three men claim the remaining money was used for other purposes related to the planned restaurant. But Usher’s legal team argues he never authorized those expenses. Usher is demanding full repayment plus damages and fees, and the singer is asking for a trial by next summer.
After writing his first song at age 7, Bryan-Michael produced a demo for teenager Beyoncé, whom he met in high school in Texas in the mid-1990s. Later, he worked with Destiny’s Child before they signed with Columbia Records.
Bryan-Michael (right) relocated to Atlanta in 2000, where he met music producer Jermaine Dupri (left) and became an in-house producer for Jermaine’s So So Def Recordings label. They are pictured with Da Brat and Latto in a photo dated January 1, 2016.
Bryan-Michael contributed to Lil Bow Wow’s debut album, Beware of Dog, and the Big Momma’s House soundtrack. He worked with Jagged Edge and he contributed to Tamar Braxton’s debut album.
Bryan-Michael wrote and co-produced the second single “Just Be a Man About It” from Toni Braxton’s third studio album, The Heat.
