New's Year Eve no-show costs singer Ne-Yo $156,000

New's Year Eve no-show costs singer Ne-Yo $156,000

BALTIMORE (AP) -- A judge has ordered R&B singer Ne-Yo and his booking agent to pay more than $156,000 in damages because the performer failed to appear at a 2008 New Year's Eve concert in Washington state. Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Philip Caroom ordered the payment Tuesday after a four-day trial in late July and early August. Promoter Kenyohn Clark sued Ne-Yo, whose real name is Shaffer Smith, and Maryland-based promoter Mike Esterman. The judge ruled in favor of Clark, who claimed that Esterman misled him and failed to return a $95,000 deposit. Court documents show Ne-Yo testified at trial that he knew in his "heart of hearts" that the deposit should have been returned to Clark. Attorneys for Ne-Yo and Esterman could not immediately be reached for comment. _Copyright 2010 The Associated Press._