Jered Threatin’s Former Band Members Filed Lawsuits Against Him and Won
Two former members of Threatin, the fake band that captivated the internet last fall with an elaborate hoax, have successfully sued their former employer, Jered Threatin (real name Jered Eames), in small claims court in San Bernardino County, CA.
Public records posted on the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino website show that former guitarist Joe Prunera and former drummer Dane Davis took Eames and his wife Kelsey, who had a large role in perpetrating her husband’s schemes, to small claims court and successfully recovered all the money they were seeking. Prunera was awarded $10,000, the maximum amount allowable in small claims court, plus $250 in court fees, while Davis recovered a total of $3,975.29. The Eameses failed to appear in court to defend themselves, resulting in a default judgment against them.
Prunera and Davis sought recovery of money they spent on flights home from Threatin’s failed European tour, 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. Both men quit Threatin in the middle of the band’s botched tour as word of Eames’ hoax broke on the internet.
Davis’s mother, Debra, who sought recovery of funds she lent her son to book a return flight from Europe when the tour collapsed, as well as money she spent to fly herself to Ireland to see her son play, also sued the Eameses and was awarded a total of $4,035.66, including court fees.
Prunera and Davis first filed suit against Eames on December 24th, 2018; Debra filed later, on January 14th, 2019, but the schedules for all three cases were later aligned to be heard on the same date.
Records show that notice of the initial claims was sent to Jered and Kelsey via U.S. postal service certified mail on February 6th, and tracking information for those notices (Kelsey, Jered) shows that both packages were returned to sender as unclaimed on March 1st and March 4th, respectively, despite notices left informing the recipients that signatures were required. Kelsey was eventually served notice in person for both herself and her husband by a private process server on March 25th at the same address to which the notices had been sent.
Jered and Kelsey failed to appear in court for the hearings on April 8th, resulting in a default verdict in favor of Prunera and the Davises. All three plaintiffs were sworn in, examined, and presented evidence to back up their claims.
Notices sent to the Eameses informing them of the court’s judgment were returned “not deliverable as addressed.” Prunera tells MetalSucks that he suspects Kelsey simply wrote “not deliverable as addressed” on the letter and put it back in the mail. With the 30 day window in which Kelsey and Jered could appeal the decision now having passed, all three plaintiffs are currently exploring their options as how best to proceed. With Jered and Kelsey continuing to ignore all forms of contact, the plaintiffs can now turn to freezing of assets or wage garnishment to collect the money owed to them. It is not known whether Jered or Kelsey currently have jobs or what those jobs might be.
Eames, meanwhile, is currently seeking a second guitarist for a Threatin gig this coming November at The Underworld in London, one of the venues in which he played to an empty room on his failed tour last year.
