Lawsuit Filed by Ticketholders Locked Out by Copa America Chaos

A lawsuit has been filed in the wake of Sunday’s chaotic Copa America final match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. That contest was marred by a security and ticketing mess before the game’s start, which included multiple breaches of the stadium’s security by fans stuck in massive security lines in searing heat, resulting in many fans who had valid tickets being locked out after the stadium reached capacity, or blocked from their seats by fans who refused to leave.

The lawsuit was filed by Jackie Martinez, who says she spent more than $4,000 on tickets for her family to the event, only to be locked out. She is seeking $50,000 in compensation from Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL, the soccer federation organizing the tournament.

“The unlawful entry of individuals into the arena was a forseeable consequence of Defendant’s failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols, and ticket verification processes,” the lawsuit filed by one family this week reads, in part.

“Ms. Martinez was devastated, her family was devastated,” it continues. “It’s pure negligence.”

Blame has already been flying around in the wake of the messy situation, which many say is already casting doubt on the security and ticketing system for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in many of the same stadiums as Copa America was in two years, including Hard Rock Stadium.

CONMEBOL issued a statement Monday that implicated the event failures stemmed from the stadium and its security operations team.

“CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations,” the statement read in part. “In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account.”

“We regret that the acts of violence caused by malicious individuals have tarnished a final that was ready to be a great sports celebration,” the statement concluded.

The stadium issued a statement Tuesday detailing how it worked with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF (the North American soccer federation and host of FIFA World Cup ’26) and local law enforcement on the event, effectively trying to pool the blame among all relevant parties.

Statement from Hard Rock Stadium: pic.twitter.com/9hP9MdFUxZ

— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) July 16, 2024

“There’s something Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and you can’t sell people tickets and deny them entry,” says Irwin Ast, representing Ms. Martinez in the lawsuit. “They bought these tickets years ago. This was a hardship, a sacrifice, this was like their vacation.”

It is unclear at this point whether or not event organizers intend to issue refunds for those who purchased tickets to the game and were denied entry. It is likely going to prove significantly difficult for anyone who bought tickets to provide proof that they were or were not able to attend, given how event organizers opened the gates and did not even try to scan tickets for a period on Sunday to lessen the risk of a crowd crush incident at the stadium entry points.