WA joins Ticketmaster lawsuit, demands compensation for overcharged customers

Washington is joining nearly 30 other states and the U.S. Department of Justice in a lawsuit aiming to break up Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, alleging that their practices have hurt consumers and violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the live entertainment industry.

“Free enterprise is built on companies competing,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “Instead, these industry leaders squeezed out the competition to increase their profits, at the expense of fans. My office is partnering with this bipartisan coalition to put an end to this monopoly.”

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit Thursday in a federal court in New York. Washington, along with 28 other states and the District of Columbia, signed onto the complaint.

Washington is asking the court to provide compensation for customers who paid more than they would have in a competitive marketplace. The lawsuit also calls on the court to prohibit Live Nation from engaging in its anticompetitive practices.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/wa-joins-ticketmaster-lawsuit-demands-compensation-for-overcharged-customers/