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California Judge Expands Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster

By  |  December 14, 2025

A federal judge in California has ruled that Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary must defend themselves against a nationwide class action lawsuit accusing them of overcharging concertgoers for years, according to Reuters.

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    U.S. District Judge George Wu, based in Los Angeles, decided on Friday that the plaintiffs had satisfied the legal requirements to pursue the case as a class action. Per Reuters, the ruling allows the lawsuit to cover as many as 15 years of alleged damages related to the sale of more than 400 million tickets across major concert venues in the United States.

    The decision expands a case first filed in 2022, in which consumers accused Beverly Hills, California-based Live Nation of monopolizing the ticketing market. According to Reuters, the plaintiffs argue that the company’s dominance enabled it to impose artificially high fees on ticket buyers, in violation of U.S. antitrust laws. Live Nation and Ticketmaster have denied the allegations.

    The certified class includes consumers who purchased tickets directly from Ticketmaster or a Live Nation affiliate for events held at large venues since 2010, per Reuters. Live Nation had asked Judge Wu to block the lawsuit from proceeding as a class action, contending that the wide range of venues and ticketing arrangements would require individualized analysis that could not be resolved in a single trial.

    Read more: Belgian Competition Authority Launches Inquiry into Live Nation’s Acquisition of Pukkelpop Festival

    As reported by Reuters, the company told the court that tickets sold for roughly 1,000 different venues involved distinct circumstances, making class-wide treatment inappropriate. Live Nation also argued that venues themselves, rather than Ticketmaster, determine the fees charged to fans, often varying by individual event.

    Neither Live Nation nor attorneys representing the plaintiffs immediately responded to requests for comment following the ruling, according to Reuters.

    The case has already survived earlier procedural challenges. Per Reuters, the U.S. Supreme Court in October declined to hear an appeal from Live Nation and Ticketmaster that sought to move the dispute out of federal court and into private arbitration, allowing the lawsuit to continue in the current venue.

    Source: Reuters