A U.S. federal judge has cleared the way for a sweeping class action accusing Live Nation and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster, of inflating prices for concerts and live events across the country. According to Reuters, the ruling allows millions of ticket buyers to pursue damages linked to purchases made over the past 15 years.
The decision came from U.S. District Judge George Wu in Los Angeles, who said consumers met the legal threshold to move forward as a single class. The case covers more than 400 million tickets sold since 2010 at major venues nationwide, Reuters reported.
Court rejects effort to block class certification
Live Nation pushed back against expanding the case, arguing that ticket sales across hundreds of venues involved too many individual factors to justify one trial. The judge rejected that argument, finding enough common issues to proceed collectively.
The lawsuit, first filed in 2022, accuses Live Nation of using its dominant position in live entertainment to overcharge fans, in violation of U.S. antitrust laws. Plaintiffs claim the company’s control over venues and ticketing allowed it to impose fees that would not exist in a competitive market.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster deny any wrongdoing. The company has argued that venues, not Ticketmaster, decide the fees added to ticket prices, often on a show-by-show basis. Representatives for both sides did not comment immediately on the ruling, Reuters noted.
The case adds to mounting legal pressure on Live Nation. In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to move the dispute into private arbitration, keeping it in federal court. Separately, the U.S. Justice Department and several states have filed their own antitrust lawsuit in New York, also targeting Live Nation’s ticketing practices.
The latest ruling means the consumer case will now move into a more complex phase, with potential exposure stretching back more than a decade and involving one of the most powerful companies in live entertainment.
![Terry Rozier pleads not guilty to sports betting charges By Reuters December 8, 20257:45 PM GMT-4Updated 3 hours ago Item 1 of 3 Terry Rozier, a guard with the NBA's Miami Heat, departs the Brooklyn Federal courthouse, after entering a plea in a criminal case alleging he shared non-public information with sports bettors ahead of games, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz [1/3]Terry Rozier, a guard with the NBA's Miami Heat, departs the Brooklyn Federal courthouse, after entering a plea in a criminal case alleging he shared non-public information with sports bettors ahead of games, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab December 8 - Facing federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges for his alleged role in an illegal sports gambling scheme, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday in New York. Rozier, 31, was released on a $3 million bond. Rozier's co-defendant, Deniro Laster, also appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. He was released on $50,000 bond. He and Rozier were arrested in October in connection with a federal investigation into illicit gambling. Advertisement · Scroll to continue In an indictment from the U.S. Justice Department, Rozier was accused of tipping off Laster that he planned to leave a game for the Charlotte Hornets game early by feigning an injury. Laster and other conspirators then used that knowledge to "place and direct more than $200,000 in wagers predicting Rozier's ‘under' statistics (i.e., that Rozier would underperform)." The NBA had previously investigated suspicious prop bets placed on Rozier's unders in 2023 but did not find evidence he had violated league rules. The league placed Rozier on leave following the indictment and his arrest. An investigation into Rozier has been underway since a March 23, 2023, game when Rozier played for the Hornets. Sportsbooks reported unusual betting activities on prop bets -- all on the under -- in a game Rozier left after 10 minutes, claiming a foot injury. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The indictment alleges Rozier made it known to associates that he would depart the game early, and more than $200,000 was wagered on the under, with a share of the winnings given to Rozier. With the next status update on the case set for March 3, Rozier's lawyer, Jim Trusty, told reporters he plans to file a motion for dismissal Tuesday. Evan Corcoran, Laster's lawyer, said he would likely do the same for his client. Trusty went on to say that he will meet with the NBA in an arbitration hearing on Dec. 17, per The Athletic, to contest that Rozier's leave is unpaid. The guard was placed on unpaid leave by the league one week after he was arrested, which caused the National Basketball Players Association to file a grievance with the league. Rozier entered the league as a first-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 2015. He is playing this season on the final year of a four-year, $96.3 million deal he signed with the Hornets and has $160.4 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.](https://arbitrationmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/terry-rozier-sports-150x150.avif)