Los Angeles - It's bad enough that Hollywood has it's share of liars, cheats and thieves, but according to the lawsuit filed by the two decades old Los Angeles Music Awards against one of it's former sub-contractors, Jim DeCicco and his business associates at E-Worlde Companies have nearly decimated what was once a unified and cohesive independent music community. The lawsuit claims that DeCicco, while working for the Los Angeles Music Awards from the years 2003 until stole trade secrets, intellectual properties and customer lists belonging to the company founder and then used that same stolen property to start a competing business against his former associate.
Al Bowman, who filed the suit against Jim DeCicco and and his partner Brent Harvey of KBH Enetartainment, says that a jury will have to decide the fate of Jim DeCicco and his criminal activities. "It is my opinion that Jim DeCicco, E-World Companies and Brent Harvey, are guilty of all the charges in our lawsuit. On November 20th, they perpetrated a crime against the hard working artists and bands who struggle to get their work seen and heard by the music industry. I just feel sorry for any of the stock holders of E-Worlde Companies. They really are getting ripped off by the dirt bags running that company, " stated LA Music Awards founder and executive producer Al Bowman. E-World CEO Henning Morales could not be reached for comment on the pending lawsuit. Jim DeCicco has refused to give a statement for this article.
Bowman also alleges that to illegally and unfairly compete with him, DeCicco started a competing event using the identical format and customer base as his and then scheduled his event the same night, at the same time, within two blocks of Bowman's nearly 20 year old event. "He cost us about 40% of our business by willfully and deliberately confusing the independent music community into thinking the events were one in the same. The artists were the ones who were caught in the middle. Many of them purchased $3,000 dinner tables believing that they were attending one of our events. Again, all of these patrons got ripped off by DeCicco and E-World, " concluded Bowman.
Bowman further alleges that DeCicco nominated 100% of the artists that paid a contest fee to him, thereby diluting the meaning of what an award such as this is supposed to stand for. Bowman says his organization gives nominations to only about 5% of those who submit their material for consideration of nomination. Bowman further states that the competing event oversold their venue by about 600 patrons, due to the fact that they had more than that many nominees in their overcrowded categories. Many of these so called "nominees" stood in line for hours and only got in to the event at the end of it.
Bowman opines, " it is people like Jim DeCicco who have helped destroy the entire American business and financial systems. Why would anyone want to even do business with Americans when you have people like Jim DeCicco who destroy communities to service their own greed and lust for power. Truly shameful, " concludes Bowman.
Big Al
Hermosa Beach, California
U.S.A.
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