Ne-Yo will have to face a judge and explain why he skipped out of a 2009 New Year's Eve concert at the last minute in Bellevue, Wash., just outside Seattle. The R&B singer and his booking agent, Mike Esterman, were named in a $500,000 lawsuit filed by Maryland-based Wet Entertainment LLC, the promoters of the botched New Year's Eve fete. And while Esterman called the lawsuit 'frivolous' in a MTV interview last February, a judge has denied Ne-Yo's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

"Ne-Yo failed to appear at a New Year's Eve concert and no defense exists that would excuse his failure to appear," the lawsuit reads. Esterman's failure to stick to his contractual obligations and his refusal to return the $95,000 deposit for Ne-Yo's appearance also has Wet Entertainment seeking $1 million in damages from the booking agent.

1500 tickets ranging from $125 a pop to $1275 for a VIP package were sold for the Dec. 31, 2009 concert. Ne-Yo was to rack in $140,000 for his appearance, in addition to first class accommodations and airfare for him and his entourage. In addition to the monetary losses lawyers for Wet Entertainment say that their client's reputations are "probably irreparable."

Ne-Yo and his associates will stand trial in an Annapolis, Maryland courtroom at the end of July.

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