Calvin Harris, the Scottish DJ and producer whose real name is Adam Wiles, has accused his former financial advisor, Thomas St. John, of orchestrating the misappropriation of $22.5 million intended for a Hollywood real estate project.
The allegations surfaced in court documents filed on September 12 at the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, as Harris seeks to enforce a temporary injunction in an ongoing arbitration that began in June.
As reported by Billboard, St. John, who managed Harris’s finances from 2012 until April 2025, is alleged to have “systematically” taken advantage of Harris’s trust over more than a decade.
Harris has an estimated net worth of $300 million, which according to the Scotsman places him among the 13 wealthiest DJs in the world, including David Guetta ($200 million), Steve Aoki ($120 million), and Daft Punk (a French duo worth around $90 million apiece).
A search of Finra's BrokerCheck and the SEC's IAPD databases did not yield a profile for St. John in California.
The arbitration demand reportedly outlined how St. John and his associates persuaded Harris to invest in a project known as CMNTY Culture Campus, a 460,000-square-foot development in Hollywood originally pitched as a creative hub for musicians and artists.
In 2021, St. John acquired land for the project and began seeking investors. By 2023, the filings state, St. John approached Harris for additional funding, citing a cash shortfall. Harris claims he was provided with “no context or information whatsoever” about the investment and was sent DocuSign forms that were “materially misleading.”
According to celebrity news site People, Harris’s investment was structured as a $10 million loan and a $12.5 million equity stake, funneled through a newly created entity, Lewsi LLC.
The arbitration documents allege that after the funds were transferred, St. John caused Hollywood LLC – the entity controlling the project – to distribute $11.7 million to Dun & Dun LLC, which St. John controls.
“To this day, Claimants do not know where Claimants’ investment has gone or what it has been used for,” Harris’s lawyers wrote, describing the project as “at best, a complete boondoggle, and, at worst, a complete fraud.”
The filings further state, “Mr. Wiles has not received a single penny in return for that investment, and, indeed, respondents have not even started developing or building the project.” Shortly after the $12.5 million equity investment, over $11 million was allegedly distributed to St. John.
In 2024, the project’s focus reportedly shifted from a creative campus to residential housing, a sharp deviation from the original vision that Harris claims was not disclosed to him in a timely manner.
St. John’s attorney, Sasha Frid, said in a statement that Harris is one of “several investors” in a development now expected to include 750 apartments in two towers, as well as retail and creative spaces.
Frid added, “Unhappy with the pace of the project, he chose to pursue private arbitration to assert his discontent. It’s no secret that due to interest rates and other market factors real estate projects are taking longer to build. But the development is very much viable and expected to have a $900+ million valuation when completed.”
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Harris and St. John have agreed to a temporary injunction that freezes certain assets while the arbitration proceeds under the supervision of retired judge Michael R. Wilner, appointed as arbitrator in August. Representatives for Harris have not commented publicly on the ongoing dispute.
The arbitration demand claims that Harris has repeatedly requested information about his investment, but has received only “scant (and sometimes contradictory) information.” The loan portion of the investment was reportedly due to be repaid by January 31, 2025, but no repayment or interest has been made to date.
“Out of necessity, Mr. Wiles surrounds himself with professionals, including TSJ, in whom Mr. Wiles placed his trust to ensure his earnings are protected, his investments are smart, and his family and future are secure,” the arbitration demand reportedly read. “However, instead of acting in Mr. Wiles’s best interests, TSJ and the other respondents completely and absolutely breached that trust.”
The case remains pending, with both parties awaiting further proceedings.
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