Aurora James designed AOC’s ‘Tax the Rich’ gown and raised money for black business owners. Now her gala planners are suing her over unpaid bills

Event planners have sued fashion designer Aurora James, the 15 Percent Pledge, and the group’s fiscal sponsor over unpaid bills from a February 2026 fundraising gala in Los Angeles, The New York Post reported after reviewing court papers.

The Gathery produced the “15 Percent Pledge Gala 2026,” which was held to raise money for Black business owners. Meghan Markle attended, and Tina Knowles was honored at the event, the newspaper said.

James is the designer who made the white Met Gala gown Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore in 2021 with “Tax the Rich” written on it. The new lawsuit seeks more than $1 million and names James, the 15 Percent Pledge, and Philanthropic Ventures Foundation.

The Gathery says it fronted production costs and was not paid after the Paramount Studios event

The Gathery filed a civil case in New York Supreme Court. Court papers seen by The Post say the organizers are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The complaint alleges that The Gathery produced the 2026 gala, advanced substantial vendor and production costs, and was left with $777,871.84 in unpaid principal, plus contractually owed interest, attorneys’ fees, and other claimed financial damages.

The suit seeks $1,082,965.28 from James, Fifteen Percent Pledge, and PVF. The filing claims a “fraudulent” James “repeatedly induced” the planners to keep working, “all while knowing, or recklessly disregarding, that 15PP lacked the ability to pay.”

The court filing reads, “Defendant Aurora James (“James”), the founder and principal of 15PP, personally directed the project and repeatedly induced TGI to continue performing even after payment defaults had begun. James approved change orders expanding the scope and cost of the event, signed the February 4, 2026, amendment admitting breach, and assured TGI that payment would be forthcoming – all while knowing, or recklessly disregarding, that 15PP lacked the ability to pay.”

“Despite receiving the full benefit of TGI’s work, Defendants have failed and refused to pay over one million dollars owed for those services.” Disputes over unpaid work can escalate dramatically, as when a man whose boss refused to pay him what he was worth built a competing business and put his boss out of business.

The gala took place at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Guests included fashion executive Emma Grede, Kimora Lee Simmons, and stylist Law Roach, according to The Post. James, 42, founded the nonprofit in June 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. The group apparently asks retailers to set aside 15 percent of shelf space for Black-owned entrepreneurs and creatives.

According to its website, cited in the court papers, 15PP “is a racial equity and economic justice non-profit organization working towards a more equitable economic future.” The site, as quoted in the filing, said, “Launched in 2020 by Aurora James, the initiative was born from seeing multiple acts of injustice and police brutality in the United States with a lack of accountability for the systemic issues at play.”

Her clothes have been worn by Beyoncé, Solange Knowles, Meghan Markle, and Nicki Minaj, The Post said. AOC’s 2021 Met Gala look put James on the front pages.

The Gathery had produced the annual fundraiser in 2024 and 2025 with no issues, the suit states. 15PP paid its first two installments in October 2025 but then began missing payments in November 2025, while James allegedly signed off on thousands of dollars more in expenses, according to the filing.

The Post reported in 2021 that James had unpaid debts in multiple states. Cultural Brokerage Agency, an LLC she formed in 2011 as the parent company of her fashion brand Brother Vellies, had three open tax warrants for 2018 and 2019 in New York for failing to withhold income taxes from employees’ paychecks totaling $14,798, the state Department of Taxation and Finance confirmed at the time.

The company had been hit with 15 warrants in total since 2015, as the earlier report said. Cultural Brokerage Agency has also faced multiple legal challenges alleging repeated nonpayment of worker benefits, The Post reported.

In October 2019, the state Workers’ Compensation Board issued the company a $17,000 fine for not carrying workers’ comp insurance between March 2017 and February 2018. The company owed $62,722, and no payments had been received, a representative for the board told The Post at the time. The company’s legal troubles extend beyond unpaid bills, as an Ohio woman was sued for over $25,000 after leaving a one-star Google review for a manufacturing company.  

James shares a son with Benjamin Bronfman. The Post said she owns a $1.6 million Los Angeles cottage that has been featured in Architectural Digest. PVF has filed a motion to dismiss the suit.