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Live Nation has moved to dismiss a lawsuit brought on by a contractor that claims the company cut ties with him because of his sexual orientation.
In April of last year, the plaintiff, Braden Maurer-Burns, filed the complaint to the Superior Court of Burlington County in New Jersey.
His business Drag Diva worked with Live Nation to “create and produce drag-related content and shows” on a regular basis, he claims, before the entertainment company cut ties.
This is despite the events proving to be a “massive commercial success” according to the suit obtained by Digital Music News.
Maurer-Burns alleges that Live Nation withdrew from the relationship because he identifies as gay, and states that he “suffered differential treatment in his contractual relationships based on his sexual orientation”.
The document also alleges that Live Nation violated New Jersey’s discrimination laws twice by limiting “the number of LGBT business and content [makers] they would contract with” and for treating Maurer-Burns “differently from other contractors because of his sexual orientation”.
The case was moved to a federal court in New Jersey following a removal notice from Live Nation and now the company has filed a motion to dismiss it.
It states that it “fails at the most fundamental level” because Maurer-Burns “was not and has never been a party to a contract with Live Nation”.
Additionally, Live Nation claims that the lawsuit is not relevant as it was filed beyond the law’s two-year statute of limitations as the accusations stem from 2019.
“Even if Maurer-Burns could somehow establish that he personally had rights under an actual or proposed contractual relationship with Live Nation, any such claim would be definitively time-barred,” Live Nation said in response in the filing.
Live Nation has categorically stated that it did not decide against contracting with Maurer-Burns or end his contract due to his sexual orientation.
Maurer-Burns is seeking payment for damages, losses, emotional harm, embarrassment and upset, psychological injuries, interest, costs, equitable relied, injunctive relief, and reinstatement.
He has also called for attorney’s fees, cost of the suit, experts’ fees, and punitive damages to be covered.
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