Live Nation Asks Federal Judge to Scrap Monopoly Verdict, Calling Jury Win “Made-for-Juries Emotional Arguments”

Three months after a federal jury found Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster liable for illegally monopolizing the primary concert ticketing market, the company is pressing Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York to wipe the verdict from the record. On July 2, 2026, Live Nation filed two post-trial memorandums asking the court to throw out the jury’s finding entirely or, failing that, grant a new trial.

The jury, which delivered its verdict on April 15, 2026, concluded that Ticketmaster’s anticompetitive practices led to consumers in 21 states and the District of Columbia paying an extra $1.72 for every primary concert ticket sold. Plaintiffs alleged that Ticketmaster controls 86% of primary ticketing at major concert venues and that Live Nation holds 78% of the large amphitheater market. The jury found the companies liable on all core federal claims.

The Arguments

In the first motion, filed under Rule 50(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Live Nation asks the court to enter judgment as a matter of law for the companies on every claim. The second, filed under Rule 59, seeks a new trial should the first motion fail. Live Nation argues that the states secured what it calls “the first-ever jury trial in a government monopolization action” and then won with “made-for-juries emotional arguments” rather than economic proof. The defense also contests the admission of testimony about parking fees, European ticketing comparisons, and a phrase from internal company documents.

Settlement and Remedies

The Department of Justice reached a $280 million settlement with Live Nation on March 9, 2026, roughly one week after trial began. That deal, which is proceeding through the Tunney Act review process, runs separately from the state plaintiffs’ case. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia declined to join the DOJ settlement and continued litigating through the jury trial. If Judge Subramanian denies the post-trial motions, the case will advance to the remedies phase, where penalties and potential structural relief would be determined in a separate bench proceeding.

Live Nation is represented by Latham & Watkins and Cravath, Swaine & Moore.