Live Nation is asking a federal judge to overturn—or substantially narrow—the antitrust verdict against the concert giant, arguing that state attorneys general persuaded jurors with a sweeping narrative about the company’s power but failed to produce the economic and transactional evidence needed to prove their claims.
In an 11-page letter filed Aug. 4, attorneys for Live Nation and Ticketmaster seized on questions raised by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian during a July 31 hearing on the companies’ post-trial motions. The filing supplements Live Nation’s request for judgment as a matter of law under Rule 50 and its alternative request for a new trial under Rule 59.
A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for antitrust violations in May following a six-week trial in Manhattan. The state plaintiffs are now seeking structural remedies that could include separating Live Nation from Ticketmaster and forcing the company to surrender control of some amphitheaters.
Before the case reaches that stage, however, Subramanian must decide whether the verdict is legally supported by the evidence presented at trial. Live Nation’s latest filing argues that it is not.
Did the states prove an amphitheater market?
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