SAN FRANCISCO—Journey lead guitarist Neal Schon and his wife Michaele Salahi are suing the city of San Francisco for an alleged extortion plot.
The allegations came following the couple’s wedding at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. The couple claims that less than a week in advance of their 2013 marriage, the rental charge for the iconic venue had skyrocketed from $58,000 to $240,000.
The justifications for these increases were a newly applied “park regeneration fee” and a “premium regeneration fee.” In a statement to SFGate, the couple’s attorney said, “What the city did was inexcusable.”
The Journey guitarist and reality television star’s union was a $15 pay-per-view event, a development the city has pointed to in their defense of the elevated costs.
“The event evolved from small and secret to a live commercial broadcast, and the city’s fees evolved accordingly,” said the city attorney’s office spokesman.
The couple hopes to recuperate $182,000, the difference between the original and eventual price of renting the venue. They are also suing for costs induced by unspecified damages.
