The Cause Collaborative Inc. this week filed suit against the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley Inc. for breach of contract. The Cause Collaborative is seeking between $30,000 and $40,000 and is represented by Luke Kalamas of Phillips Lytle LLP.
In a June 3 filing with the Monroe County Supreme Court, Cause Collaborative alleges that the Gay Alliance, dba Out Alliance, contracted with the marketing firm in December 2017 to provide services related to the Out Alliance’s Roc Pride 2018 festival. The base fee of the contract was for $59,975.
The Out Alliance paid $14,977.73 toward the base fee and agreed to pay the remainder in seven monthly installments of $6,425.32, from February 2018 to September 2018. The base fee did not include expenses, according to the complaint; expenses were to be itemized and required prior approval from the Out Alliance.
The contract was for a total of 700 hours of marketing and event services. The agency provided 1,052 hours of work for the festival, according to the complaint. The Cause Collaborative also alleges that additional expenses related to printing, supplies, advertising, signage, event planning and marketing were incurred.
Roc Pride 2018 included 16 events over more than a week of festivities, including LGBTQ+ History Tour: [Walk] in Color; Fabulous Lives: [Drag] in Color; Q-Day at Seabreeze; Roc Pride 5K; and the first-ever Silent Disco at Cobbs Hill Park. The week culminated in the annual Roc Pride Parade along Park Avenue, according to the Cause Collaborative’s website description of the event.
On Aug. 2, 2018, the Cause Collaborative invoiced the Out Alliance for $29,383.47, which included the remaining amount of the base fee and expenses previously approved by the Out Alliance. The complaint alleges the Out Alliance did not object to the invoice until Oct. 23, 2018.
On Nov. 2, the Cause Collaborative invoiced the Out Alliance for $30,981.14, which included the unpaid balance from the previous invoice, late fees and attorneys’ fees.
In a testimonial on the Cause Collaborative’s website, Out Alliance Executive Director Jeff Myers said the event is the second-largest statewide, “and it had gotten to a point where we needed some assistance.”
“They helped us think outside the box,” Myers said of Cause Collaborative’s marketing efforts. “It’s not your normal, run-of-the-mill PR advertising agency. They really care, and it shows in the work that they do.”
The Cause Collaborative in the first cause of action, breach of contract, is seeking $37,636.95, plus interest and attorneys’ fees. The Cause Collaborative is asking for $35,821.47 if the first cause is vacated, or $30,918.14 if the first and second claims are vacated.
A call to the Out Alliance for comment on Wednesday was not returned.
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