Liza Womack, mother of Lil Peep, today filed a lawsuit accusing her son's management company, First Access, of negligence, breach of contract and wrongful death in connection with the rapper's death from a drug overdose in November of 2017.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday morning and obtained by Variety, says that in the weeks before his death the rapper was "stressed, overwhelmed, burnt out, exhausted and physically unwell." The suit claims that Peep was an "impressionable kid" and that his management coerced him "onto stage after stage in city after city, plying and propping" him up with illegal drugs.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and names Sarah Stennett, First Access's chief executive; Bryant "Chase" Ortega, a member of the management team; and tour manager Belinda Mercer.
Late Tuesday evening, a representative of the company sent Variety the following statement, which follows in full.
"Lil Peep's death from an accidental drug overdose was a terrible tragedy," the statement reads. "However, the claim that First Access Entertainment, any of its employees, or Chase Ortega, or anyone else under our auspices was somehow responsible for, complicit in, or contributed to his death is categorically untrue. In fact, we consistently encouraged Peep to stop abusing drugs and to distance himself from the negative influence of the drug users and enablers with whom he chose to associate.
"It is extremely disappointing that Peep's mother would file this meritless lawsuit, since she is well aware of the numerous efforts made by First Access and Chase Ortega to steer her son away from his concerning lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, in spite of our best efforts, he was an adult who made his own decisions and opted to follow a different, more destructive path.
"After comprehensively reviewing the facts, the Medical Examiner ruled that Peep's death was accidental; likewise, the Tucson Police Department conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that his death was the result of an accidental overdose.
"While First Access is deeply saddened by Lil Peep's untimely death, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves against this groundless and offensive lawsuit," the statement concludes. "We look forward to its swift dismissal."