Live Nation, Ticketmaster Fail to Escape Consumer Antitrust Suit

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its Ticketmaster LLC unit must face consumer plaintiffs’ antitrust claims that they conspired to monopolize the ticketing services industry, after a judge mostly denied the companies’ motion to dismiss.

Judge George H. Wu of the US District Court for the Central District of California in an April 11 ruling held that the consumer plaintiffs cleared a threshold issue in antitrust cases by adequately arguing that Live Nation had market power.

“The Court finds that Plaintiffs’ allegations that Ticketmaster controls 60 percent of the alleged submarket, in conjunction with its allegations that Ticketmaster has grown despite ...