Joe Prunera and Dane Davis, formerly of fake metal band Threatin, have sued “founder”/ frontman Jered Threatin (real name Jered Eames) and won.
According to public records reported on by Metal Sucks, ex-guitarist Prunera and ex-drummer Davis filed separate cases on December 24, 2018 taking Eames and wife Kelsey to small claims court in San Bernardino County in California to recoup expenses they endured during the band’s failed European tour. Those expenses included “food and basic living expenses while on the road, lost wages while away and musical instruments and gear they had purchased specifically for the tour.”
In November 2018, Prunera and Davis, along with bassist Gavin Carney, joined Eames on what ended up being a European tour based on lies. Posing as a booking agent/promoter and using fake live footage of packed gigs and paid social media views/likes to inflate the band’s influence, he booked 10 shows across the continent, telling the venues that he had nearly sold out each of their rooms. Venues got suspicious when the show dates arrived and few, if any, people actually showed up. Prunera and Davis quit the band upon hearing the allegations and the tour was quickly cancelled. In the time since, Eames has taken to the internet and media outlets to claim that the whole fiasco was his intention from the beginning, though that seems to be a lie too.
Davis’ mother, Debra, also filed a suit against the Eames’. In her January 14, 2019 filing, she sought to get money back she lent her son to return home from the tour, as well as expenses she incurred to fly out to Ireland and see her son perform live.
Following a hearing for all three cases that took place on April 8, Prunera and both Davises were awarded reparations in a default judgement against Jered and Kelsey, who had failed to attend the court date and defend themselves. Prunera received $10,000 (the maximum one can receive in small claims court) plus $250 in court fees, while Dane Davis was granted $3,975.29. Debra Davis was awarded $4,035.66 in reparations and court fees.
Jered and Kelsey’s failure to show up in court and testify doesn’t come as a shock as the two seem to be avoiding everything to do with these cases. In February, the two were sent claims via USPS which were returned to sender after not being claimed. On March 25, Kelsey was finally reached in person and served notices for both her and her husband by a private process server. Notices about the verdict also went unanswered, instead being sent back as “undeliverable as addressed.” The 30-day window in which the Eames’ could have appealed the verdict has now lapsed, which means they are on the hook for the money the court awarded the plaintiffs.
In fact, it doesn’t look like Jered has learned anything from this ordeal. Earlier this month, Eames posted an ad to his Instagram looking for a new guitarist to play another UK show this coming November. That is supposed to happen at The Underworld, which he played on the original European tour.
