Topline
Hundreds of fans of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and other musicians have filed a lawsuit accusing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of price gouging, alleging that both companies conspired with venues to raise the price of tickets – marking the latest complaint against Ticketmaster marks after a federal antitrust lawsuit. lawsuit filed earlier this year.
A federal antitrust lawsuit was previously filed against the company and its parent company Live Nation … (+)
Key facts
Kinder Law filed a lawsuit Friday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County, accusing Ticketmaster and Live Nation of breach of contract, fraud, negligence, negligent misrepresentation and antitrust violations.
The latest complaint – which represents 365 fans of Swift, Beyoncé, The Cure and others – builds on a previous case filed by the law firm in December 2022, alleging that Ticketmaster and Live Nation have engaged in a “pattern of racketeering activity” while violating the racketeering law. Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
Live Nation and Ticketmaster ‘operate’ a relationship with Live Nation-owned stadium venues to ‘achieve the purpose of their business’, requiring fans to use Ticketmaster exclusively for tickets ‘at prices higher than what a competitive market would dictate’ , the complaint said. claims.
Neither Ticketmaster nor Live Nation immediately responded to a request for comment from Forbes.
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What to pay attention to
Kinder Law has requested a jury trial, although it is not immediately clear whether their claims will go to trial. The law firm has sought unspecified damages — suggesting each fan suffered a loss in “an amount of thousands of dollars” — in addition to other punitive damages that would be determined at trial.
Important background
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have become the subject of lawsuits in recent years, including Kinder Law’s lawsuit in 2022. That complaint is similar to their last filing and accuses both companies of various charges and antitrust violations following Swift’s Eras Tour, which cost millions fans unable to get tickets, the company claims. In 2022, Ticketmaster canceled general sales for the tour after the website crashed during pre-sales, and Live Nation president Joe Berchtold claimed the problem was caused by scalpers during a “cyber attack.” The Justice Department and 29 attorneys general sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster in May, accusing the companies of having a monopoly that forced fans to pay more for tickets. Live Nation criticized the DOJ’s lawsuit, saying it is “absurd” to claim that either company had a monopoly. That lawsuit is still ongoing and calls for the dissolution of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which merged in 2010.
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