Legal

Madonna delayed concert lawsuit progresses as settlement claim is dismissed

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Madonna's legal team has dismissed claims that a settlement has been reached with plaintiffs in the delayed concert lawsuit in New York.

The singer and Live Nation is being sued by two people who attended her Barclays Center concert last December. Madonna took to the stage two hours after the advertised claim according to filings made on behalf of plaintiffs Michael Fellows and Jason Alvarez.

Last week, the claimants’ lawyer filed a document claiming that a settlement had been reached between the parties.

However, Madonna’s lawyer confirmed in a Monday hearing that no settlement had been reached and the case should proceed. The singer’s representative asked the judge to remove the settlement notice from the record.

“Defendants will not be harassed into settlement and cannot abide false statements made to the court,” a lawyer for Madonna and Live Nation wrote in a letter to the court on Monday.

The lawsuit accuses Madonna, promoter Live Nation and Barclays Center of breaching contracts with ticket buyers and of “false advertising, negligent representation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices”. Fellows and Alvarez said they would not have purchased tickets if they had known how late the concert would finish.

In April, Madonna’s lawyers requested dismissal of the lawsuit. They argued: “Plaintiffs speculate that ticket-holders who left the venue after 1am might have had trouble getting a ride home or might have needed to wake up early the next day for work. That is not a cognisable injury.”

They have also argued that fans should expect that a Madonna concert would not start on time, and also claimed the delay was in part because of a technical problem at the venue

A second delayed concert lawsuit was filed in DC federal court in April. Three fans claim that the singer broke the law by arriving on stage two hours late at two performance dates at the Capital One Arena in December 2023.

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