Bad Blood: Taylor Swift Fans Sue Ticketmaster

More than two dozen Taylor Swift fans from 13 states filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster in Los Angeles Friday following the disastrous Verified Fan sale for Swift’s upcoming “Eras Tour.”

The 26 plaintiffs allege violation of California’s Cartwright Act — essentially the Golden State’s equivalent of the federal Sherman Antitrust Act, though with more specifics — and the state’s Unfair Competition Law. The suit asks for Ticketmaster and parent Live Nation Entertainment to pay a $2,500 civil penalty for each violation.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles County District Court, alleges fraud and price-fixing on the part of Live Nation, along with antitrust violations. It goes on to say Ticketmaster “intentionally and purposefully” misled ticket-buyers relying on the veracity of the Verified Fan program by allowing scalpers and bots to participate in the sale. Ticketmaster has said a significant number of bots were able to infiltrate the sale.

Ticketmaster, which eventually canceled the broader public sale after the Verified Fan sale fiasco, blamed “unprecented” and “unexpected” demand for the troubles during the sale, but, as the lawsuit alleges, the company itself issued those Verified Fan sale codes; the plaintiffs accuse the ticketing giant of issuing those codes when it couldn’t satisfy the demand.