'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
James Fortune, a Grammy-nominated Gospel musician, and his wife Rhaquele are suing popular Houston restaurant Turkey Leg Hut. The couple's company J4 Productions, LLC. filed the lawsuit with Harris County court on Monday.
James and Rhaquele accused the eatery's owner, Nakia Holmes of taking over $300,000 from them as investment money but not paying them back. The filing states that the singer and his wife own 15% of the restaurant’s stakes.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 45-year-old Texas-born singer currently owns a fortune worth $2 million. James Fortune is recognized among the most successful Gospel artists of contemporary times. Before opting for a career as a musician, he began as a choir director at Houston's Higher Dimension Church.
Trending
He stepped foot in the music industry in 2004 through his first album You Survived featuring his choir group FIYA. This debut single earned James an ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Award for Gospel Song of the Year in 2004.
In 2008, James Fortune and FIYA released the single I Trust You from their album The Transformation, which remained on the #1 spot for 29 weeks and retained its place on several Gospel music charts for over a year.
With his 2012 album Identity and one of its songs Hold On, James received two Grammy nominations for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song respectively.
James and FIYA went touring for their projects where they performed alongside eminent artists, including the gospel musical group Rizen. The songwriter and record artist also appeared as a host on New York-based gospel radio station 1190 AM WLIB in 2013.
James Fortune sues Turkey Leg Hut amid the restaurant's health code violation
The Houston Health Department found through inspection that Turkey Leg Hut broke 35 health codes and as a result, the restaurant was temporarily shut down on September 19. Health officials reported until the eatery’s conditions are improved and other issues are resolved, Turkey Leg Hut will remain closed.
Most of the violations concerned unhealthy storage of foods “including conditions that pose an imminent threat to public health”, according to the health department’s report. The restaurant took to Facebook to announce its closure from September 20 to September 22 due to “some exciting renovations”. However, they did not address the health code violations.
Within a week, Turkey Leg Hut and owner Nakia found themselves entangled in new legal trouble as J4 Productions sued her over a “breach of fiduciary duty”.
According to KHOU-TV, James Fortune and his wife Rhaquele met Nakia Holmes and her now ex-husband Lyndell Price in 2018 and they became well-acquainted with one another. Rhaquele said they all hung out together at their respective homes along with their kids.
After Nakia and Lyndell announced their divorce in December 2023, James Fortune and Rhaquele reportedly wired her $100,000 as a loan. Rhaquele said during a recent interview with KHOU-TV posted on James's Instagram and Facebook accounts on September 26, that Nakia called her 2 months after the Fortunes lent her the money:
"She was hysterical. Because the comptroller was physically there to see these assets, and so, she needed financial assistance immediately."
After Nakia's call, the Fortunes sent her $180,000 for 15% ownership of the restaurant. The following month, Nakia failed to pay the bills and requested Rhaquele to pay for the food supply at Turkey Leg Hut with her personal credit card. James and his wife claimed to have paid thousands of dollars to the restaurant for both food supplies and services, a total of which amounted to over $300,000.
However, in March 2024, Turkey Leg Hut declared bankruptcy with less than $50,000 in its possession as assets. James Fortune and his wife were compelled to pay some of Turkey Leg Hut's employees to keep the business afloat as Nakia Holmes could not pay them.
As James Fortune snippets from their interview with the outlet on his social media accounts on Thursday, he wrote:
"When someone takes advantage of my kindness, I just feel bad for that person. I feel bad that they feel the need to step on someone who helped them stand up."
The Fortunes are now suing Nakia in hopes of getting their invested money back.
