New York — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday urged more than two dozen states to settle their cases Antitrust Claims Against Ticketmaster and its parent company this week after the US Department of Justice I came to an agreement He withdrew from the ongoing trial.
But Dan Wall, a lawyer for Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent, told Judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan that the chance of all states settling their claims by Friday was “about zero.”
He said he based his assessment on the nature of the discussions between the ticket and entertainment giants and the states over the past week. Not all states want the same types of relief, he said.
“There are too many parties,” Wall said. “We want to keep landing here. Get him down. We won’t be landing by Friday.”
At another point, Wall said: “There’s no chance of getting this done by Friday.”
“Not in this situation,” Subramanian quipped.
However, the judge persuaded lawyers on both sides to negotiate in Manhattan federal court this week to see if they make progress before deciding whether to grant a mistrial request by the states and set a date for a new start of the trial or a resumption of the trial next Monday. He started presenting evidence Last week.
“Right now, you should focus on whether we can make a deal,” the judge told them, saying he would find conference rooms throughout the courthouse for them to do their work. He even offered up his dressing room as office space. “I want to see if we can reach an agreement here.”
Michael Rapinoe, president and CEO of Live Nation, attended the court talks on Tuesday.
The Justice Department revealed Monday that it has settled its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster, calling the terms of the deal a victory for consumers that will end the illegal monopoly on live events in the United States.
At trial, lawyers for the federal government, 39 states and the District of Columbia said Live Nation and Ticketmaster Crushing competition and raising prices for the masses Through threats, retaliation and other tactics to “stifle competition” by controlling almost every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing. The companies insisted that artists, sports teams and venues set prices and decide how to sell tickets.
The Justice Department’s announcement was immediately met with strong criticism from multiple countries. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called it a “horrible deal.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota and a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and Law, said Monday that the new deal is similar to previous agreements with the Justice Department that ultimately failed to curb Live Nation’s monopolistic activity.
Klobuchar praised the states for opposing the deal and said it was “troubling” that the deal was announced a month after the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division was fired.
According to the court document, Live Nation has agreed to allow up to 50% of all tickets sold at stands it owns, manages or controls to be sold through any ticket marketplace.
It also said it would cap its service fees at those grandstands at 15% and divest ownership or control of 13 grandstands, including venues in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Syracuse, New York, and Austin, Texas. She said Live Nation would establish a $280 million settlement fund to settle claims or pay civil fines to states.
However, none of this money will be paid if no country settles. A Justice Department official said on Monday that at least ten states had agreed to join the United States in settling the case.
That leaves more than two dozen states that have not agreed to the deal, state attorneys say.
