CoMo Entertainment owner Ben Bradley responds to missed court dates, payments

“If you report otherwise, I will come out, and I will come after you, and I will name you in a lawsuit and I will name your station in a lawsuit,” CoMo Entertainment owner Ben Bradley told ABC 17’s Jillian Fertig in a phone conversation Tuesday.

Bradley missed two court dates in one of many lawsuits filed against him and his business. On Monday, a judge ruled in favor of the other party in one case because Bradley was a no show.

This comes after an October story where we told you two brides claimed they were ripped off by the Columbia Party Bus, one of the businesses owned by Bradley.

ABC 17’s Jillian Fertig got a hold of Bradley via phone Tuesday and asked him why he missed his Monday court date.

“I didn’t even know I had a court hearing yesterday,” Bradley said.

He said he requested a continuance, but public records show the judge denied his request.

“I think a judge’s opinion to not grant something when I was unable to be in court because I was out of town unexpectedly could have been swayed by the media,” Bradley said.

ABC 17 News told Bradley court records show he lost the case and now owes Midway Communications more than $600.

“If I lost that, then I lost that,” he said. “It is what it is.”

ABC 17 News asked Bradley when he planned to pay the employees and customers who said they still haven’t gotten their money.

“My employees are paid,” Bradley said.

But court records show one employee filed and won a lawsuit. Bradley owes that employee $1,000.

“Start reporting some true facts and not what makes a good story,” Bradley told Fertig on the phone.

“I just report the truth, and if I get record that you paid, then that’s what will be reported,” Fertig said.

But Bradley said he can’t give ABC 17 News the records because his business partner has them. ABC 17 News was unable to get a hold of the partner to verify Bradley’s claims.

“You can follow up with what your story was about, currently, this is turning into a little bit of harassment,” Bradley said.

“I’m just doing my job, Ben” Fertig told him. “When people say they don’t get paid, I try to get answers for them.”

Bradley also said he paid everyone who filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

But in an email Tuesday, the AG’s office said they couldn’t talk about the investigation yet.