By Hank Russell
After a five-week trial, Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 33 other attorneys general won their lawsuit against Live Nation after a jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition and driving up costs for fans, artists, and venues across the country.
In May 2024, James, a coalition of 40 other states, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Live Nation, alleging that its control over almost every aspect of the live event business — from venue ownership to event promotion to ticketing services through Ticketmaster — allowed it to raise costs for both fans and artists and to suppress competition.
The jury found on April 15, 2026 that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully maintained and abused their monopoly power, preventing other ticketing services, venue owners, and concert promoters from successfully competing. As a result, fans have been charged an extra $1.72 for tickets. In addition, the jury determined that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.
According to Live Nation, “The jury’s award of $1.72 per ticket applies to a limited number of tickets — those sold at 257 venues, which represent about 20% of total tickets — and only to purchases by fans (excluding brokers) in certain states over the past five years. Based on that scope, we believe the aggregate single damages figure would be below $150 million, which would be trebled. In connection with the DOJ settlement, Live Nation has already accrued $280 million toward state damages and civil penalty claims.”
James called the jury’s decision “a landmark victory in our ongoing work to protect our economy and New Yorkers’ wallets from harmful monopolies,” James said. “For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power.”
In response, Live Nation said in a statement that will soon renew its motion for judgment as a matter of law, which the Court deferred until after the jury returned its verdict. “That motion addresses all liability theories,” the entertainment company stated. “The Court previously noted that Live Nation’s motion raises serious issues.”
During the trial that began on March 2, 2026, DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation, which James and the coalition of 33 states rejected, choosing to continue litigation instead. They will argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial.
Live Nation said there is also a pending motion to strike the damages testimony on which the jury’s award was based. The company said the court deferred ruling on that motion as well, while noting significant concerns with the damages expert’s analysis. “Of course, Live Nation can and will appeal any unfavorable rulings on these motions,” they said.
“Injunctive relief will be determined by the Court after the states make a remedy proposal, which we expect in the coming weeks,” Live Nation continued. “In the meantime, the Tunney Act proceedings regarding the DOJ settlement will continue. We remain confident that the ultimate outcome of the States’ case will not be materially different than what is envisioned by the DOJ settlement.”