Podcast and music streaming company LiveOne is accused of allegedly “openly and illegally operating a commercial office, business event center, professional podcast interview studio and music recording studio” in a 6,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion, according to a complaint filed May 10 by next door neighbors of the property.
Entertainment lawyer Michael Kibler and his wife Anne Kibler claim LiveOne has been a “nuisance” since moving in to take over the home's lease in 2022, resulting in “noise at all hours of the day and night, increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic associated with commercial activities and parking overflow, from daily commercial activity at the residence,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Kibler's attorney John Fowler.
The home is located in the prestigious Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood, which has long struggled to balance the privacy and security needs of its wealthy residents with the hustle and bustle of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills' glamorous Golden Triangle corridor.
According to the complaint, the Beverly Hills home now used by LiveOne was privately owned and occupied by a longtime owner who died in 2021. The property, which includes a pool, a swimming lane and a guest house, was then purchased from Siamak Khakshooy and Tanaz Koshki for $6.9 million in October 2021 and leased the following December to The Revels Group, which manages artists including rapper G-Eazy.
That's when trouble began for the Kibler family, according to the lawsuit. The Revels Group used the space as its “creative synthesis,” the suit says, operating music studios on the property and promoting “all-night music industry events hosted by professional DJs” to a “backyard nightclub-quality sound system.” After receiving multiple complaints about the home, Beverly Hills Code Enforcement launched an investigation in September 2022 and ordered the company to “permanently cease all operations,” which led to The Revels Group not renewing its lease. After The Revels Group left in December 2022, LiveOne moved in around March 2023.
Since taking over the property, LiveOne has “operated its music and entertainment company by participating in studio recordings, hosting a pre-Grammy night party on February 3, 2024, and hosting other music entertainment events,” the lawsuit states.
The Kiblers have hired private investigators to surveil the home and issue extensive reports identifying LiveOne staff as they enter and leave the property, even running license plate checks on cars parked near the home to identify the drivers, according to with the lawsuit. Aside from the occasional late-night party, Kibler's biggest complaint is the “large amounts of trash overflowing from the city's trash and recycling bins in the alley behind The LiveOne House.”
The Kiblers are suing LiveOne and the property's owners for violating local zoning laws, charging both public and private nuisance and infliction of emotional distress. The Kiblers are asking a judge to order LiveOne to cease all activity at the home and pay a $10,000 fine for each day it operates the home.
Advertising sign LiveOne was contacted for comment but did not hear back.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/liveone-sued-alleged-illegal-music-studio-beverly-hills-home-1235689212/