Rain found liable for $8 million in damages

South Korean pop star and actor Rain and his managers were ordered Thursday to pay a Hawaiian promoter more than $8 million in damages for canceling a 2007 concert in Honolulu.

A federal jury found Rain, his former management agency JYP Entertainment and two South Korean companies breached a contract to perform and defrauded Click Entertainment Inc.

Nearly $5 million was for punitive damages, with Rain and JYP each ordered to pay $2.4 million. An additional $1 million was awarded for damages related to the fraud and $2,286,000 was given for breach of contract.

“I hope they send a message that people can’t do the kind of things that this entertainer and his agents did,” said Click attorney Eric Seitz.

The judgment is expected to trigger several lawsuits across the United States, where the star abruptly canceled shows two years ago. A similar lawsuit was recently filed in Los Angeles, where Rain’s concert at Staples Center was scratched shortly before show time.

“We maintain our position that both JYP and Rain fulfilled all their obligations with regard to the Hawaii performance,” said Rain’s lead lawyer, Jon Crocker.

Rain’s concert was canceled just days before the scheduled June 15, 2007, event at Aloha Stadium. The 26-year-old Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, is widely popular across Asia.