Judge Rejects Live Nation Effort to Pause Consumer Lawsuit Amid DOJ Case

A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that a consumer lawsuit accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of inflating ticket prices may continue in tandem with a separate antitrust action filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and 39 states. U.S. District Judge George Wu on Monday denied Live Nation’s request to delay the proposed class action until after the government’s case, which aims to break up the two companies and is set for a trial beginning in March of next year.

The consumer lawsuit, filed in January 2022, seeks monetary damages on behalf of millions of both original and resale ticket purchasers. Meanwhile, the government’s lawsuit—brought in May in a federal court in Manhattan—demands structural remedies to restore competition in live event ticketing.

Live Nation argued that running both lawsuits simultaneously would waste resources and risk inconsistent rulings. In his order, however, Judge Wu rejected that contention, emphasizing that “the only reason why this case has not progressed further is because defendants sought to enforce extremely unconscionable arbitration terms.”

READ MORE | ‘Unconscionable’: 9th Circuit Rejects Live Nation’s Arbitration Appeal |

Attorneys for the consumers had criticized Live Nation for allegedly stalling the class action with arbitration motions, which, if successful, would have prevented the case from proceeding in court. A federal appeals court in October refused to compel arbitration, enabling the consumer lawsuit to resume.

Live Nation, which maintains it has done nothing wrong, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. The company has consistently denied the allegations that it dominates the live entertainment ticketing market through exclusive contracts and other barriers to competition.

Judge Wu noted that the government’s suit, set for trial in 2026, is not “significantly more advanced” than the consumer litigation. That finding ensures both matters will move forward on parallel tracks, with consumers seeking financial redress and the government pursuing structural changes to the ticketing giant’s operations.