SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah has filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, claiming that the companies, which sell access to concerts, sporting events, and other activities, deceptively hid fees and misrepresented ticket prices to consumers.
Thursday's filing by the Utah Department of Commerce's Division of Consumer Protection, the Utah Attorney General, along with the Federal Trade Commission, alleges that the companies display low ticket prices to buyers before adding high fees at checkout.
According to the lawsuit, the fees ranged from 24% to 44% of the total ticket price, and buyers paid $16.4 billion in fees to Ticketmaster and Live Nation during a five-year period ending in 2024.
The lawsuit also claimed the ticket companies sold millions of secondary market tickets that had been acquired by brokers who circumvented enforcement measures, forcing buyers to pay "hundreds of millions more" for tickets than they would on the primary market.
"Ticketmaster’s game of bait-and-switch, cozying up with unscrupulous scalpers, inflates costs and leaves fans frustrated,” said Utah Attorney General Derek Brown in a statement. “Today Utah is stepping up, cracking down on these deceptive tactics, to make sure everyone can get seats to their favorite shows without being victimized.”
According to the lawsuit, Ticketmaster and Live Nation allowed ticket brokers to exceed purchase limits put in place to allow fans to gain access to events.
