Sean Parker's Punishment for Eco-Unfriendly Wedding? He Has to Build an App. The 'creative' settlement was reached with the California Coastal Commission after Napster founder Sean Parker came under fire for hosting an over-the-top wedding that allegedly damaged sensitive Redwood forests.
By Geoff Weiss
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They say the punishment should fit the crime. But in the case of Napster co-founder and inaugural Facebook president Sean Parker -- who hosted a lavish, fairy tale-inspired wedding that allegedly damaged sensitive Redwood forests in Big Sur, Calif. last year -- the punishment will be specially tailored to the perpetrator's unique skills.
As part of a settlement reached with the California Coastal Commission, Parker must not only cough up $2.5 million, but create a mobile app as part of his community service that will help the state's beach-goers navigate around private property to access its public coastline.
"We're now working with [Parker's] technical team, which is orders of magnitude beyond what we would be able to summon in terms of technical expertise within our agency," commission spokeswoman Sarah Christie told the San Francisco Chronicle. She called the settlement "a creative resolution."
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The ethereal ceremony, which Parker likened to "a performance-art project," took place at a private campground under 500-year-old Redwoods and even featured a pen of bunnies for guests to cuddle. It came under fire, however, for movie-like props and set pieces that encroached upon the endangered woods.
Parker claimed, at the time, that he had been incorrectly advised by local conservationists who told him that he did not need permits, according to the Chronicle.
As part of the $2.5 million settlement, Parker and his wife, singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas, will donate $1.4 million to eight conservation programs in the region. "Alexandra and I are proud to support organizations that promote education, access to and the conservation of the Big Sur coast," Parker said in a statement.
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