The case centers on Live Nation's control over nearly every layer of the live entertainment business — venue ownership, event promotion, and ticketing through Ticketmaster — which the states alleged allowed the company to raise prices and suppress competition. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 40 other states, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, filed suit in May 2024. When the DOJ settled with Live Nation during the trial, Tong and 33 remaining states rejected the settlement and pressed forward.
The jury found Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for ticketing services at major concert venues. It also found that Live Nation has a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists and that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its event promotion services. The jury further determined that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.
Attorney General Tong said the verdict confirms what fans, artists, venues, and states like Connecticut have argued for years, and that even after the DOJ reached what he described as a weak and ill-conceived settlement, the state coalition refused to back down because that deal did not go far enough to fix a broken marketplace.
The trial began on March 2, 2026, and the verdict was announced on April 15, 2026. With liability established, Tong and the coalition will now argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial.