Black Coffee wins $437,000 in Maserati lawsuit

August 27, 2026

A delayed custom Maserati never arrived, but Black Coffee has driven away with a $437,000 court victory instead.

Black Coffee has scored a major legal victory against Maserati South Africa. A Johannesburg court awarded the Grammy-winning DJ roughly $437,000 over a luxury supercar that never arrived. The global iconic producer, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, took the dispute to court after a highly customized Maserati MC20 Cielo failed to arrive within the expected timeframe. Apparently, even luxury vehicles can leave you waiting on read.

The dispute has centered on a deal involving Black Coffee’s existing Maserati MC20 Coupe, which he purchased in 2022. He agreed to trade in the vehicle for a new MC20 Cielo, with additional payment expected to cover the difference. The new convertible model has reportedly been valued at approximately $560,000, making this considerably more complicated than returning a car because the sound system wasn’t pleasing.

Black Coffee also ordered an extensive list of custom specifications for the new vehicle, including a rare Blu Infinito exterior finish, diamond-cut wheels, and a 12-speaker Sonus Faber sound system. In total, the supercar was to be designed with 18 custom features. The result eventually turned out to be hard-earned money spent well. In other words, a DJ booth on wheels, although one that was unfortunately much harder to book.

The disagreement intensified when Black Coffee reportedly learned that production would not begin within the previously expected schedule. He shared that the vehicle was supposed to arrive by July 2025. Instead, he was later informed that the production would be pushed back, with no completion date provided. Maserati, on their side, argued that the extensive customization process meant a July delivery had never been guaranteed.

Maserati had maintained that additional specifications required final approval and that the customized vehicle could not move forward until those details were finalized. The company also argued that the R7 million trade-in value of Black Coffee’s original MC20 had been tied to the completion of the new purchase. The court battle has therefore revolved around the exact terms of an agreement that was reportedly made through both written and verbal arrangements.

Acting Judge Sanet van Aswegen ultimately ruled in favor of Black Coffee’s company, Soulistic Music, awarding R7 million plus 10.5% annual interest dating back to August 22, 2025, as well as legal costs. While detailed reasons for the ruling have not been publicly disclosed, the decision has given Black Coffee the win. For now, he may not have received his customized Maserati, but he has definitely driven away with something substantial.