(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The high-profile fashion designer behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., “Tax the Rich” dress is facing a $1 million civil lawsuit alleging she failed to pay event planners for a “celebrity mega bash,” according to a recent news report.
Aurora James is facing the lawsuit from The Gathery, which alleges that James never paid the company for services provided for the “15 Percent Pledge Gala 2026,” a February party that the New York Post described as an effort to raise money for Black business owners.
According to the Post, members of The Gathery accused James of being “fraudulent” and “repeatedly” inducing them to work on the event “all while knowing, or recklessly disregarding, that 15PP.”
The Gathery filed the lawsuit in the Supreme Court of New York, which serves as the state’s trial-level court of general jurisdiction. The suit listed James, 15 Percent Pledge and Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, which the Post said served as a fiscal sponsor for the event.
AOC's 'Tax the Rich' dress designer sued for $1m https://t.co/I615KjLRcM pic.twitter.com/zU6xdy3twm
— New York Post (@nypost) September 23, 2026
The event’s organizers are seeking $1,082,965.28 after James allegedly stiffed them out of $777,871.84. The remaining amount consists of money allegedly owed in interest, attorneys’ fees and other damages, according to the Post.
James gained national attention after designing Ocasio-Cortez’s infamous “Tax the Rich” dress for the 2021 Met Gala.
Ocasio-Cortez also faced mockery for attending and partying alongside affluent celebrities at the event after campaigning on a platform that criticized wealth and economic inequality.
The dress also landed Ocasio-Cortez in legal trouble after the House Ethics Committee found that she violated congressional rules by accepting thousands of dollars worth of uncompensated goods and a free ticket to the 2021 Met Gala.
According to the House Ethics Committee, Ocasio-Cortez reportedly paid for the dress only after the Office of Congressional Ethics launched its investigation.
