Can D4vds Managers Be Held Liable in Celeste Rivas Hernandez Case? Experts Weigh in

A civil lawsuit from the parents of murdered teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez has opened up a second front in D4vd's legal battle. This new case doesn't just target the “Romantic Homicide†singer – it also claims his managers are partially at fault for Rivas' sexual abuse.

The claims by Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas Alvarado, obtained by Billboard, were submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday (Sept. 4). 21-year-old D4vd (born David Anthony Burke) was already facing criminal charges alleging he stabbed Rivas to death and dismembered her body after the 14-year-old threatened to go public with their illegal sexual relationship in April 2025. He has pled not guilty.

It's common for the families of murder victims to bring their own private lawsuits in addition to the criminal process; OJ Simpson, for example, famously faced lengthy civil litigation despite his acquittal. Like in D4vd's criminal case, the new civil lawsuit alleges that the singer acted alone in killing Rivas, and he's the only one facing claims for wrongful death. However, Rivas' parents are alleging that various people in D4vd's orbit should also be held financially liable for the sexual abuse of Rivas, which allegedly began when she was 13 years old.

Among those accused of negligence in the lawsuit are D4vd's management company, Mogul Vision, its CEO Josh Marshall and his day-to-day manager Robert Morgenroth. The group had guided D4vd's ascendant pop career since its early days; D4vd told Billboard in a 2023 interview that Marshall discovered him on SoundCloud before the success of his breakout 2022 single “Romantic Homicide.â€

The new lawsuit alleges that the Mogul Vision team, alongside D4vd's mother and live-in security guard, “made arrangements that enabled Burke to be alone with Decedent and to continue his abuse of her.†It says Mogul Vision leased the Hollywood Hills home where D4vd lived, and that Morgenroth even had his own room at the house.  

“[They] knew or should have known of Burke's dangerous propensities toward, and sexual exploitation of, Decedent, a minor, and failed to take reasonable steps to protect her, to supervise Burke, or to prevent the continued abuse,†reads the lawsuit.

Rivas' parents are seeking unspecified financial damages in the case. Marshall and Morgenroth did not immediately return requests for comment on the claims.

Legal experts tell Billboard that D4vd's managers might indeed be on the hook, depending on what the facts and evidence ultimately show. “Enabling child sex abuse is a crime, and in the civil courts, a person or entity can be held civilly liable for its role in allowing the abuse to occur,†says Dave Ring, an attorney who specializes in sexual abuse litigation.

“The relationship between D4vd and Celeste went on for some time,†says Ring. “How did D4vd's key personnel not know what was taking place? That will be the main focus of the lawsuit.â€

James McMillan, a lawyer and founder of the label and management company Art@War, notes that the Mogul Vision team could be in trouble even if they weren't explicitly told Rivas was underage. That's because the negligence standard allows for liability when a person “should have known†about wrongdoing — that is, if they turned a blind eye to something obvious.

“It's not just if they knew specifically, but if they should have known based on inferences,†says McMillan. “What did she look like? Did she look like a little kid? That would be up for a jury and a judge to decide.â€

For McMillan, the lawsuit serves as a reminder that managers “have a responsibility as human beings to govern ourselves accordingly and be good citizens.†While the D4vd case is extreme, he says that managers are often put in tough positions with their artist clients, whether that be witnessing criminal conduct or just bad behavior that reflects poorly on them.

“You've got a decision to make whether you want to be involved in something like that or if you want to turn a blind eye,†says McMillan. “Managers who are smart have to make decisions that are in alignment with the longevity and success of their long-term career and not get caught up in the moment with an artist.â€