Usher Raymond IV, who mononymously goes by Usher, filed a $4.9 million lawsuit against his former associates Keith Thomas, Bryan-Michael Cox, Charles Hughes, and Alcide Honore at the Fulton County Court in Atlanta on November 14.The R&B singer-songwriter is accusing the group of men of failing to repay $1.7 million, which he loaned them to open a restaurant in Buckhead, Atlanta. According to his filing, the restaurant cum lounge named Homage ATL never opened its doors.While Keith Thomas is his former personal assistant and best friend, Bryan-Michael Cox is a record producer and songwriter. Alcide Honore is an entertainment lawyer, and Charles Hughes is also an industry insider. According to the legal documents reviewed by WSB-TV, the defendants approached Raymond IV last year with a proposal to open Homage ATL at 3102 Piedmont Road in Buckhead, replacing the older Ocean Prime restaurant that shut down in 2015.However, he did not wish to invest in the property and loaned them $1.7 million via wire transfer to a trust fund in January 2025. Although the project never kicked off, and when Usher reportedly asked to be paid back, he only received $1 million in August, with $700,000 still due.The civil suit also claims that Alcide Honore told the musician that the money was “not that easy” to repay, as it was reportedly used for “other purposes.”All you need to know about Usher’s ex-associate, Keith ThomasKeith Thomas is a former assistant of Usher and has shared a friendship with him for nearly three decades. He has an Instagram handle, @keefthabeef, that mentions him as the CEO of GoodLook Entertainment.Thomas, who has amassed 18,000 followers on the platform, is also an A&R executive, manager, and artist developer. He runs a band called Ladies Love R&B (@ladiesloverndatl) with Bryan-Michael Cox.Previously, Cox has produced several of Usher’s hit songs, including Burn and U Got It Bad.Keith Thomas is a girl's dad and has three daughters, according to his Instagram posts. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn October 2021, Keith wished Raymond IV on his birthday. The Instagram post featuring an image of the duo was captioned:“I couldn’t let this day go by without wishing my best friend/ brother @usher a Muthaf**kin Happy Birthday!!! We’ve been Rockin for over 25 years, and it’s been a blast from the very first day you picked me up in that dam jeep. Ever since that day, we’ve been thick as thieves.”He added, “I just wanna say I appreciate & love you, my brother!!!! Enjoy your day, cause we got an album to finish. Had to bring this hairstyle back one more time for the gram lol!!!!”In August 2022, the My Way artist was featured on his friend’s Instagram from what appeared to be a party. The pair was seen sharing a drink, with the caption reading:“Nothing but good Vibes with my brother @usher. Don’t let my signature look fool you.”Keith Thomas’ last post about Raymond IV came in October 2025. It was an announcement of the remix of It Depends, featuring Usher and Chris Brown.Ladies Love R&B Wednesdays - Source: GettyNeither Keith nor the three other defendants have responded to the lawsuit, as of writing. However, earlier today, Thomas took to his Instagram Stories and defended Cox as “one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.” He urged people not to fuel the rumors and shared that Bryan-Michael couldn’t take a dime for anyone, but would rather share his own.Raymond IV is seeking $4.9 million in damages and $700,000 for each of the seven claims in his lawsuit.