U of Michigan Sued Over Ticket Resale Cancellations

A North Carolina-based ticket reseller has refiled a lawsuit against the University of Michigan, alleging sudden changes to the school’s season ticket policy will cost his company at least $2.5 million in lost revenue.

In a complaint filed February 28 in the Michigan Court of Claims, reseller and longtime season ticket holder Kevin Brick and his company, Maxim Tickets, Inc., accuse the university of “deceiving and misleading” them into making large donations and then prohibiting the resale of football tickets without warning.

Brick claims that, for more than two decades, he bought hundreds of tickets each season under the impression he could freely transfer or resell them. According to the suit, the athletic department’s longstanding practice had been to allow resales, with annual ticket and donation payments resulting in “Priority Points” and other perks for season ticket holders.

That changed in early 2024, the complaint states, when the university notified Brick that his multiple accounts—which allegedly totaled 164 active season ticket accounts at the time—were locked. The policy cited bars buying tickets for the “primary purpose” of resale and imposes strict limits on how many seats a single account may hold.

“Despite UM’s longstanding policy of allowing resale and transfer of football season’s tickets, it unilaterally changed its terms and conditions,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that Brick believes the timing and rollout of the new policy were intentionally hidden until he could no longer recoup money invested over the years.

University of Michigan spokesperson David Ablauf confirmed that the revised ticket policy took effect in April 2023, ahead of the 2023 season, but declined further comment citing active litigation. The policy states that season ticket holders may have no more than eight total tickets for regular and postseason play, and that those found circumventing these limits “may have their tickets canceled at the discretion of Michigan Athletics.”

Brick’s original lawsuit, filed in federal court in August 2023, was dismissed in December after the court determined claims against a state agency cannot be brought in federal court. That earlier complaint had also alleged violations under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, which are not included in the newly filed case.

In the refiling, Brick accuses the university of violating Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act and Michigan common law by withholding documents and internal communications about ticket policy changes. He estimates Maxim Tickets will lose between $2.5 million and $3.5 million in revenue each year under the new rules.

The University of Michigan has not yet filed a response to the state court complaint.