If it is in writing would it not be libel rather than slander? Gotta wonder about the dude's priorities if he can afford lawyers to sue folks who say he doesn't pay his bills, but evidently can't or won't pay his bills . . . . is Governor Nixon going to be a co-defendant? The state is echoing Van Ella's claims that he isn't paying his bills.

Exactly how IS he hiring lawyers when he can't even pay his taxes to stay open?

Wait, I'm very confused. So he owes $40,000 for unpaid rent and $28,000 for back taxes and he's eluding to this being Lola`s fault? Didn't she stay on board until about six weeks ago attempting to keep the show going? Didn't he bounce checks to her several times over the last year and then just quit paying her altogether? If her statement was based on truths, how can that be slander? Amazing...

Jumpin Jupiter is a great place. Pretty low and unprofessional to vent publicly what should be handled privately IMO

Is Felix Pernod actually Lola Van Ella? The only comments 'Felix' has made here concern Jumpin Jupiter.
I agree with JJ Fan that Jumpin Jupiter is a great unusual place in St. Louis.

I'm pretty sure it's not Lola Van Ella. She has posted on other articles using her own name.

Dachelle's only comments concern Jumpin Jupiter - and they are horrible.

Charles Hardy's only comment here concerns Jumpin Jupiter.

Sounds to me like there is WAY more to this story than Lola Van Ella is stating and hope Jumpin Jupiter follows through with this lawsuit. The Jumpin Jupiter is an amazing place and adds so much to St. Louis. Everyone should be careful to judge before hearing the full story.

Facts are facts & they will come out in court. If he has written bad checks & not paid performers like he has not paid landlord & taxes then all this bullshit will be for nothing. The place will close it's doors & once again a new venue helping STL become a more versatile place will be gone due to arrogance & irresponsibility. SMDH

I am not Lola van Ella. I am, in fact, a past supporter of both the Jumpin Jupiter and Mr. Callahan and have been monitoring these allegations and his "unusual" antics since things surfaced. Facts are facts ~ it's that simple...

There is a right way to handle things and a wrong way. Anyone who has been successful in business knows this. Posting on Facebook to slander someone and their business is not professional. Im surprised anyone would try to make the argument that it is........

I am a fan of both Van Ella and JJ (such a great venue) and I read the FB post by Lola. There was nothing slanderous. As someone said, she posted easily verifyable facts. That's it. Now, other performers I know may have made slanderous comments, but I believe Lola kept it as clean & professional as possible.
I am dismayed by some of the acts JJ is bringing in now. There are definitely places for those acts, but not the JJ. It is officially a waste of a beautiful space now, in my opinion.

What a mess. Stay classy, st louis

Doug Miner, you have been a pain. Is there anything else for you to write about? There are other events going on in the area. Please find other things to do with your time. All of these articles are out of control!

If you JJ didn't pay her, as he is saying is true, then where is the libel? Pay up and shut up. She's not running a charity operation...

Jumpin' Jupiter was only fun because of Van Ella's work. I personally won't be patronizing any place that doesn't pay their performers, no matter what their reasoning. If they allowed the show to go on with the knowledge that they would not follow through with payment... that is irresponsible and that mentality is part of what contributed to the state of the economy today.

Very childish behavior by Lola. Why would she post anything about a personal business matter on her Facebook page??? This is between the two parties involved JuJu is a great place. I have been there several times and it's really like nothing else in St. Louis

Can we just close up JJ and put something much more worth it there? This place was bound to fail from the beginning... The owners seem super sketchy!!

Ok, I'm sorry, but this is SO ridiculous! "Concerned Citizen of Maplewood," oops, I mean "Successful Businessman," no wait, "Private Sector Republican" (let's leave it at those three personas as examples) do you really think anyone reading these comments believes that you're actually different people? No, you're obviously one dude and you think your insinuations about Lola Van Ella are going to magically muster support for your buddy and that THAT'S going to magically fix a problem that's already gotten him neck deep in litigation. Stop blaming Lola. It doesn't solve anything and just makes you look worse and worse, as his comments that spawned this article make him look incapable of saying the two most professional words he could say at this point: No Comment.

Also, Maplewood-Brentwood Patch: it would be wonderful if you could display IP addresses for your commentors to at least make it more difficult for people with an agenda to post under multiple pseudonyms. Thanks!

Spare Me is exactly right. All those people are obviously Mr Callahan.

I agree with Spare Me and P Jones!!! As soon as I read those comments I was like, "There's Mr Callahan!!" haha!

Actually, I'm pretty sure it's either A) the booking guy he recently rehired (who has a whole "ok yes it's me, but I just want to help him out" admission in the comments of a previous article), or B) the producer of the new show. Either way it's not Mr. Callahan. I used to follow both him and Jumpin Jupiter on Facebook (saw some great shows there in the past) and his spelling and grammar were both mind-blowingly bad. Unless someone's checking his spelling before he posts, it's not him. And I think that's good. Not commenting is probably the smartest thing he can do at this point. It keeps him from being quoted.

It's not Jim, the spelling was correct. As someone who has seen first hand the strife, stress, and financial strain that was put on VEP and it's performers due to the mis-management of the Jumpin Jupiter, I would like to say to each of you assuming Lola is in the wrong that - if this happened to someone you loved or considered a friend who is trying to run a successful, artist supporting business you would be appalled and angry right along with us. I hope that Jim finds some help, from a professional, for the obvious and glaring illness that he clearly is suffering from and I feel very sad for him. Losing your business and the support of your community is not anything any of us should wish on any person. However, we are adults... trying to make a living doing something that we and the community love. Adults have to suffer the consequences of their actions and please make no mistake that Jim's actions have gotten him to where he is. And, if I may be so bold, the consequences don't fully line up because the people who COULD malign him and air his dirty business laundry have chosen to be bigger than that and keep it as professional as possible while protecting their own business interests. I agree. Don't judge until you hear both sides. I would love to read the court documents that come from any litigation between VEP and Callahan. BUT, I guarantee that would be the biggest bane on Jim and JuJu's credibility. Careful what you wish for.

Also, please look up the symptoms for Narcissistic Personality Disorder and then beseech Mr. Callahan to get help. He was a successful person who just seems to have gone off the tracks a bit. Mental illness is a disability and should be taken seriously.