Texas Renaissance Festival Lawsuit: Sale Ruling and Appeal

The Texas Renaissance Festival lawsuit is a breach-of-contract case in Grimes County over a $60 million deal to sell the festival that founder George Coulam signed in April 2023 and then refused to close. In May 2025, Judge Gary W. Chaney ruled for the buyers and ordered the sale to go through; a formal judgment entered in August 2025 added roughly $22 million in damages, $1 million in attorney’s fees, and interest. Coulam died by suicide weeks after the ruling, and his estate filed a notice of appeal on November 24, 2025. The festival keeps operating in the meantime under two court-appointed special masters.

What the Lawsuit Is About

On April 7, 2023, Coulam and his companies signed a purchase and sale agreement with four buyer entities controlled by Canadian real estate developer Meril Rivard: RW Lands, Inc., Texas Stargate, Inc., Royal Campground, Inc., and Texas RF, Inc.¹ The total price was $60 million: $48 million for the main festival property and its assets, and $12 million for adjacent land that included Coulam’s residence, Stargate Manor.²

The structure called for $400,000 in escrow, an $11.6 million cash payment at closing, and a $36 million promissory note for the main property. The adjacent-land agreement involved $100,000 in earnest money, $2.9 million in cash, and a $9 million note.³ Closing was scheduled for August 8, 2023.

It never happened. The buyers say they learned the day before closing that Coulam’s side would not go through with the transaction. The closing date passed, and the plaintiffs alleged the defendants went silent and failed to deliver the documents needed to finalize the sale.³

Who Sued Whom

In August 2023, the four Rivard-controlled buyer entities filed suit in the 506th District Court of Grimes County against Coulam personally, the Texas Renaissance Festival LLC, and Stargate Manor Arboretum LLC.³ The claim was breach of contract. The plaintiffs asked for specific performance to force the sale, and for damages covering lost revenue from the festival seasons that passed while the dispute continued.

Rivard, the financial backer, had no prior festival experience. His connection came through family: Rivard’s son is married to the daughter of Geoff Wilson, a longtime festival vendor who runs Greek food stands in an area called Agora Village. Coulam nicknamed the buyer group “the Greeks.”⁴⁵

What the Court Ordered

The case went to a week-long bench trial before Judge Gary W. Chaney. On May 7, 2025, Chaney ruled for the buyers and ordered Coulam and the festival to proceed with the sale.¹ The order covered the festival grounds, the campground, and Coulam’s residence — roughly 871 acres in total.⁵

The formal judgment was entered on August 22, 2025. In addition to ordering the sale for $15 million, the court awarded the buyers $22 million in damages calculated from lost revenue for the 2023 and 2024 festival seasons, $1 million in attorney’s fees, more than $500,000 in accrued interest, and continuing interest at 7.5 percent.⁶⁵

Coulam’s Death and What Happened to the Case

On the morning of May 21, 2025, less than two weeks after the trial ruling, Coulam was found dead at his home in Todd Mission at age 88. Grimes County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Mark Laughlin confirmed the cause as suicide.⁷ Days earlier, he had lost his reelection bid as mayor of Todd Mission to city council member Stephen Mensing, ending a tenure of more than four decades.⁸

The lawsuit did not end with Coulam. Control of his affairs passed to Jose “Jesse” Trejo, a former groundskeeper and parking manager Coulam had named executor. Those who knew both men described Trejo as a trusted associate who had spent years creating art alongside Coulam. According to the 2025 festival program, Trejo was responsible for the festival’s stages, wedding venues, and the magic garden.⁵

The Appeal

The estate chose to fight the judgment. On November 24, 2025, the Texas Renaissance Festival filed a notice of appeal with the First Court of Appeals in Houston.⁵ The appellate court later granted an extension, setting a June 12, 2026, deadline for the estate to file its opening brief.⁹ Whether and when the sale actually closes depends on how the appeal comes out.

Who Runs the Festival While the Appeal Is Pending

To keep the festival operating during the appeal, Judge Chaney appointed two special masters: J. Hans Barcus, a Huntsville personal injury lawyer, and David A. Fettner, a Houston litigator. The two oversee festival finances, handle vendor complaints, and manage day-to-day operations. The buyers’ attorney, Anthony LaPorte, called it the “netherworld of appeal.”⁶

The Rivard group has said it intends to keep the festival largely unchanged. LaPorte has stated that all vendor contracts remain in place and that the buyers are focused on “building the infrastructure to give the Texas Renaissance Festival another 50 years.”¹⁰

A Separate Shareholder Lawsuit

The breach-of-contract case is not the only litigation the estate faces, and it is important not to conflate the two. Geoff Wilson and seven other festival shareholders — including the Imhoff family, Randall Krueger, and Alex Simeonidis — filed their own suit against Coulam and the festival. Their claims include shareholder oppression, self-dealing, poor management, breach of fiduciary duties, fraud by nondisclosure, and breach of contract.11 A docket-control order setting the case timeline was issued on November 25, 2025, and the suit is now being pursued against the Coulam estate.⁵

What It Means for the 2026 Season

Despite the legal uncertainty, the festival has continued to run. The 2025 season proceeded under the two special masters, and festival leadership has confirmed the 2026 season will open on October 10, running weekends through November 29 plus the Friday after Thanksgiving.¹² Ownership is still an open question until the First Court of Appeals rules, with briefing due June 12, 2026.⁹

1
Houston Public Media. Judge Orders Sale of Texas Renaissance Festival Following Lengthy Legal Battle
2
Houston Public Media. Prospective Texas Ren Faire Buyer Plans to Keep Festival Alive According to Attorney
3
KBTX. Lawsuit Claims Texas Renaissance Festival Backed Out of $60M Sale
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Houston Chronicle. Texas Ren Festival New Owners
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Texas Monthly. Texas Renaissance Festival George Coulam King Dead Lawsuit
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CultureMap Houston. Texas Renaissance Festival Special Masters
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Houston Public Media. Cause of Death Confirmed for George Coulam, Texas Renaissance Festival Founder
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KBTX. Todd Mission Elects New Mayor, Judge Weighs Texas Renaissance Festival Lawsuit
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Yahoo News. Judge Ordered Texas Renaissance Festival
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Houston Chronicle. Texas Ren Festival New Owners>
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Houston Chronicle. Texas Renaissance Festival Ren Faire Update
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Houston Chronicle. Texas Renaissance Coulam Sold