PALM SPRINGS, CA (CelebrityAccess) – The co-owners of The Alibi, a small 200-capacity venue in Palm Springs, are suing SaveLive and its founder Marc Geiger. The Alibi co-owners, Melanie Tusquellas and Elizabeth Garo, have accused Geiger and his company of breaching deal terms and engaging in deceptive practices.
Geiger, a former global co-head of music at WME and former WME principal John Fogelman created SaveLive in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw many venues close temporarily, with the smaller independent venues being hit the hardest. SaveLive sought to establish agreements with these smaller venues such as The Alibi or outlets that needed financial support due to the pandemic. SaveLive proposed a capital infusion to the venues, but in return, the company would gain 51% control over the businesses.
After the announcement of SaveLive, the company claimed at the time to have inked deals with over twenty venues, announcing about a dozen of those, including The Alibi, Hammerjacks (Baltimore, MD), The Criterion Ballroom (Oklahoma City, OK), Tech Port Arena (San Antonio, TX) and The Golden State Theater (Monterey, CA) among others.
Tusquella, who is also the co-owner of two establishments in California (Edendale Grill and El Chavo Restaurant) and Garo, an LA area talent buyer (Echo Park Rising co-founder / The Echo / Spaceland / Echoplex) took advantage of the deal SaveLive was offering and released a statement in April 2020.
“Being able to partner with SaveLive is a dream come true,” Garo said in an April 2022 press release announcing the partnership between The Alibi and SaveLive. “Tusquellas and I can stay true to our roots knowing we have their full support,” Garo continued, adding, “It doesn’t hurt that we’ve known some of the people at SaveLive for years — we all came up through the business together.”
However, Tusquellas and Garo now allege SaveLive and Geiger deceived them into accepting an investment in their venue amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. They allege the investment was a disguise and was put in place so SaveLive could acquire their business without offering a fair price. They state that Geiger and his company misled them into accepting the investment and exploited the circumstances the pandemic caused.
Garo and Tusquellas are suing Geiger and SaveLive for breach of contract, interference and fraud. They are asking for punitive damages against the company, a cancellation of the agreement and an injunction forcing SaveLive to open the now-shuttered Alibi venue.
In the complaint, Fogelman is not listed as a defendant; it is SaveLive, Geiger and Alibi Venue Operations, LLC – A Delaware Limited Liability Company.
