A judge has ordered an attorney for a man named Kenny Chesney — not the singer — to file a proposed judgment reflecting another judge’s 2024 dismissal of Chesney from n lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged someone with the exact name of the entertainer told her he was the real deal in order to con her into loaning him money in 2021.
The defendants in the Van Nuys Superior Court lawsuit brought by Realtor Patricia Linson are Chesney — who like the actual Chesney, has the middle name Arnold — and Nayri Apelian, who Linson says had an impressive business background, making the plaintiff more confident she would be providing the loan to the country music icon. Chesney told Linson that Apelian was his partner, according to the suit.
Judge Virginia Keeny dismissed Chesney as a defendant in September 2024, but no judgment was entered on his behalf in the interim. So, on Tuesday, Judge Anthony Mohr directed Chesney’s attorneys to file the appropriate paperwork.
The lawsuit was originally filed in March 2022 and amended in September of that year, the same month Apelian filed for bankruptcy.
According to the complaint, Linson was contacted in February 2021 through Linkedin by a man claiming to be Chesney. Through subsequent conversations, the man convinced Linson into believing he was the actual singer, that his accounts were temporarily frozen and that if Linson advanced him money, he would repay her with interest within six months, Linson’s court papers state.
“What ultimately gave (Linson) the confidence to loan Chesney money was when he brought defendant Nayri Apelian into the picture,” Linson’s court papers state.
Linson’s subsequent research verified that Apelian was someone who appeared through the defendant’s website and social media to be “a very credible and reputable person,” according to Linson’s court papers..
In April 2021, Linson agreed to loan Chesney $310,000 with all the money to be funneled through Apelian because the defendants said any funds sent to Chesney would be seized, Linson’s court papers state.
Linson initially sent $90,000 and the remainder in Bitcoin. She desired to meet with Chesney, so she flew to Tennessee after the two agreed on a location, according to Linson’s court papers, which further state that Chesney was a “no-show” and while she was still at the airport he claimed his attorney had just told him he could not meet Linson because it would “put her at risk.”
Linson became concerned she was being scammed and she hired a private investigator to surveil Apelian’s home, according to Linson’s court papers. The investigator reported seeing a man going in and out of Apelian’s home on several occasions who appeared to be the real Chesney, Linson’s court papers state.
But when the loan became due in June 2021, Chesney said he was unable to pay, Linson’s court papers state.
The real Chesney, 58, is rumored to be attending the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding this weekend at Madison Square Garden after the singer canceled his scheduled July 3-4 concerts at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Chesney and Swift have been friends since she was a teenager.