First Access Entertainment spent the holiday break fighting the lawsuit filed by Lil Peep’s mother over the death of her rapper son. Key to their argument: Artist managers and labels are business associates, not baby-sitters.

Liza Womack, the mother of Lil Peep (real name Gustav Elijah Ahr), sued First Access for being at least partially responsible for his accidental overdose of Xanax and fentanyl.

Lawyers for First Access, the management and label services company that Sarah Stennett and Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries founded about five years ago, wrote in a response filed right before Christmas that their joint venture agreement is strictly contractual and does not cover “managing or controlling his personal life, including his use of drugs.”

Arguing against the suit, lawyers at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner write, “Imposing a duty on FAE Ltd. or FAE LLC to prevent Mr. Ahr’s drug overdose would extend the boundaries of legal obligations far beyond any precedent, and far beyond the contractual obligations and reasonable expectations of parties doing business.

“It would convert businesses engaged in the music and entertainment industries into full time baby-sitters for artists. That clearly was not the parties’ intent upon entering the JVA.”

Womack amended her complaint on 12/30, saying First Access controlled and managed his personal life down to “eating, drinking, sleeping” plus living arrangements, money management, social activities and drug use.

MBW and Rolling Stone have written at length about the case.

The trial date is currently 4/4/21. Stay tuned.