Taylor Swift Fans Score Court Victory in Ticketmaster Eras Tour Case
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Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans have won an important legal battle, allowing their lawsuit against Ticketmaster over the chaotic Eras Tour ticket sales to move forward. The case stems from the botched presale in November 2022, which left many fans frustrated and unable to buy tickets at face value. According to a court ruling on Monday, Nov. 24, revised antitrust claims against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, are now strong enough to survive initial dismissal.
The plaintiffs, 357 of Swift’s fans, argue that Ticketmaster and Live Nation control both ticket sales and major concert venues, creating a monopoly that limits competition. They say this monopoly contributed to the “massive disaster” during the Eras Tour presale, as bots, scalpers, and system crashes prevented fans from purchasing tickets fairly. The case references the U.S. Department of Justice’s ongoing antitrust investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster had argued that the fans’ claims were problematic because the DOJ’s case focuses on deals involving arenas and amphitheaters, not stadiums where Swift performed. U.S. District Judge George H. Wu rejected this point, stating, “None of these allegations clearly indicate that the government action excludes conduct related to stadiums… the court fails to see any meaningful distinction between arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums that would render baseless plaintiffs’ reliance on the government action.”
While the antitrust claims will proceed to evidence discovery, the judge dismissed other parts of the lawsuit, including breach of contract and consumer fraud claims.
These allegations suggested that Ticketmaster lied about keeping bots away and promised priority access to certain fans. Judge Wu ruled that Ticketmaster never made those promises in an enforceable agreement and acted in good faith based on what it believed to be true. He wrote, “Plaintiffs have failed to sufficiently allege that Defendants made promises with no intent to perform. Plaintiffs’ reliance on the aftermath of the presales… cannot support a plausible fraud theory.”
Jennifer Kinder, a lawyer representing the fans, told Billboard, “We are ecstatic to finally be moving towards our day in court. Ticketmaster has spent the past two years trying every legal trick to have their case dismissed. Judge Wu has ruled they will not be able to escape a jury trial. The people of Los Angeles will decide the legality of Ticketmaster’s monopoly.”
Ticketmaster and Swift’s team did not provide comments for the story. However, Swift had previously expressed her frustration with the presale, writing on Instagram, *“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.
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