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Calvin Harris claims that his former financial advisor stole $22.5 million from him to fund a “Boon Toggle” real estate project in Hollywood.
The arbitration request filed in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County on Friday, September 12th, and obtained by the people, alleges that Thomas St. John, who worked at Harris from around 2012 until April 2025, and his co-conspirators “systematically used” “the real name of Adam Richard Will.”
According to arbitration requests, St. John and his co-conspirators in the early 2020s created a real estate development project that created the “CMNTY CULTURE CAMPUS,” intended to develop a 460,000-square-foot development in the heart of musicians’ Hollywood.
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St. John began seeking investments from entertainers and other financial operators in early 2021. In 2023, when it was said that the project had run out of cash, he contacted Harris.
The arbitration request alleges that St. John “didn’t reveal his true intentions” to Harris and provides information about the investment.
With the advantage of being Harris’ financial advisor at the time, the arbitration request alleges that St. John created the claimant Lucy LLC in Harris and created the claimant LEWSI LLC to invest at least $22.5 million in the project.
Investments fall into two parts: $10 million from loans from Lewis LLC to Hollywood LLC (which manages the CMNTY Culture Campus) and $12.5 million through equity investments in Hollywood LLC.
The arbitration request simply claimed that St. John “provided no context or information” and instead submitted a Harris DocuSign form to sign “substantially misleading.”
After the investment was made, the arbitration request claims that St. John had made $11.7 million to Dun & Dun LLC, a managing entity for Hollywood LLC managed by St. John.
“To this day, claimants don’t know where the claimant’s investments have been made or what it was used for,” Harris’ attorney mentions “at best, a complete boandoggle, and at worst, a complete fraud.”
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“Mr. Wills has not received a penny in return for his investment. In fact, the respondent has not started developing or building the project,” the arbitration demand claim claims.
In 2024, the project’s objective shifted to creating “residential housing” due to “changes in market dynamics.”
St. John’s attorney Sasha Frid said in a statement to Variety that Harris is one of the “several investors” in the new real estate project, which is set to include 750 apartments in two towers, 34 and 38 stories. The home is set up to include 90 low-income units and outdoor, creative and retail spaces.
Frid told Variety that Harris “proactively pursued this development opportunity.”
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“Frustrated with the pace of the project, he chose to pursue private arbitration to argue his complaints. It is no secret that interest rates and other market factors will take time to build a real estate project.
People reached out to Frid for comments.
Meanwhile, Harris’ attorneys argue that while a $10 million loan is due to be repaid by January 31, 2025, the principal and interest remain unpaid.
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When Harris asked for information about his funds, respondents were said to have provided him with “scarred (and sometimes contradictory) information.”
