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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $290,000 payout to settle a lawsuit by the guitarist of rock band Journey that claimed the city unfairly jacked up fees to use a city landmark for his lavish wedding.
The full board voted unanimously to approve the settlement with Neal Schon.
Schon married « Real Housewives of D.C. » star Michaele Salahi in December 2013 at the Palace of Fine Arts with a reception at an adjacent building that once housed the Exploratorium science museum.
Schon said he agreed to pay the city $58,000 for the use, but was surprised to learn days before the wedding that he would have to pay $240,000 for the opulent event to go on. He reluctantly paid, likening the price hike to « extortion. »
The couple sued in federal court in February, claiming that the city unfairly jacked up the fee after learning the couple planned to broadcast the event on pay-per-view.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera initially defended the higher charge as appropriate for a commercial event.
Journey is a band nearly synonymous with San Francisco in some circles. Its song « Don’t Stop Believing » is the unofficial theme song of the San Francisco Giants.
Before starring in the 2010 season of « Housewives, » Salahi made headlines when she and her then-husband crashed a state dinner at the White House in 2009.
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