Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced a settlement Wednesday with Walker Stalkers, LLC and its CEO, James Frazier. The agreement prevents Mr. Frazier from engaging in the kind of conduct that led to the failure to provide promised ticket refunds for cancelled events and obliges him to pay restitution owed to eligible consumers.
Mr. Frazier began operating Walker Stalkers, LLC in 2013 and put on dozens of “Walker Stalker Con” and “Fan Fest” events in the United States and London, United Kingdom. The events were opportunities for fans to meet famous actors and artists associated with the popular television program, “The Walking Dead,” as well as other well-known television shows. Beginning in 2018, however, several of the conventions were cancelled and the refunds promised to ticketholders never materialized.
In February, the Tennessee Attorney General's Office sued Walker Stalkers, LLC and Mr. Frazier, alleging that the failure to provide the promised refunds constituted a deceptive business practice.
In October, Mr. Frazier sold Walker Stalkers to 3fams Productions, a company that runs similar fan conventions. A portion of proceeds from future online Walker Stalker events will be used to reimburse consumers still owed refunds for cancelled events, according to a recent 3fams press release.
"The defendants now have to face a long list of people who have been waiting to be reimbursed for events that never happened,” said General Slatery. “If you violate our State’s Consumer Protection laws, eventually you will have to pay.”
As part of the settlement, the State has arranged for an administrator, funded by Mr. Frazier, to oversee a restitution website portal that will be established to accept claims and refund eligible consumers. Consumers who have already requested refunds by other means—including through contacting the Attorney General’s Office—will also be eligible for restitution.
If Mr. Frazier fails to fulfill the terms of the settlement regarding restitution, he must pay a lump sum to the State to cover the costs of the administrator and consumer claims.
To read the Agreed Final Judgment, click here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2020/pr20-55-judgment.pdf