Taylor Swift ticket buyers can press ahead with Live Nation lawsuit
By Mike Scarcella
Nov 24 (Reuters) - Live Nation Entertainment LYV.N and subsidiary Ticketmaster lost a bid on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit by Taylor Swift fans who accused them of mishandling ticket sales for the superstar singer's Eras Tour.
Los Angeles-based U.S. District Judge George Wu ruled that most of the case, brought by about 350 Swift fans, can move ahead. The lawsuit alleged the plaintiffs were unable to secure tickets to the Eras Tour when billions of requests from Swift fans, bots and scalpers overwhelmed Ticketmaster's website in November 2022.
Wu said the music fans, often referred to as Swifties, adequately alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal antitrust law by illegally monopolizing U.S. ticket markets. The judge also kept in place allegations under a California consumer protection law and related breach of contract claims.
Wu dismissed fraud and negligence claims from the lawsuit. The ruling adopted a prior tentative decision that was issued on Nov. 12.
Jennifer Kinder, a lawyer for the fans, on Monday said the plaintiffs were “excited to move closer to our day in court.”
Live Nation and a lawyer for the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The fans claimed Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s control of presales and alleged technical failures deprived them of fair access to tickets, forcing many to pay inflated resale prices.
In a court filing, Live Nation called the lawsuit a baseless “laundry list of grievances about ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour.”
Live Nation is separately facing a proposed nationwide class action by Ticketmaster customers who claim the company charges artificially high ticket prices. The companies are also fighting an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department and a group of states in federal court in Manhattan.
The case is Barfuss v. Live Nation Entertainment Inc, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:23-cv-01114.
For plaintiffs: John Genga of Genga & Associates; and Jennifer Kinder of Kinder Law
For Live Natioan: Tim O’Mara and Alicia Jovais of Latham & Watkins
Read more:
US Supreme Court rejects Live Nation's bid to move ticket price case to arbitration
Live Nation, law firm Latham face scrutiny over arbitration bid in ticket pricing case
US FTC sues ticket reseller for evading Taylor Swift's Eras tour ticket limits
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