"These people are so stupid. I almost feel bad taking advantage of them. In other messages, Baker brags about robbing them blind, baby, according to the AP. The messages were made public in filings by government lawyers involved in the antitrust case, who say that they should be admitted as evidence."
"Live Nation's lawyers say that the comments represent off-the-cuff banter, not policy between personal friends that does not relate to antitrust claims. The exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn't reflect our values or how we operate, Live Nation said in a statement, noting that leadership learned of this when the public did."
"Attorneys general of more than two dozen states, including Massachusetts, are vowing to maintain their antitrust lawsuit against the company despite a deal being reached with the federal government. The antitrust litigation has been ongoing since 2024, when the Department of Justice under the Biden administration and a large group of attorneys general sued the company."
Live Nation and Ticketmaster face renewed scrutiny following the public release of internal Slack messages from employee Ben Baker, who mocked customers as "so stupid" and bragged about exploiting them financially between 2021 and 2023. Baker, now overseeing ticketing for Live Nation's venue unit, made these comments while discussing VIP ticket sales. Despite reaching a settlement with the federal Department of Justice, attorneys general from over two dozen states, including Massachusetts, are continuing their antitrust lawsuits against the company. Live Nation characterizes the messages as private banter between friends unrelated to antitrust claims and states the comments do not reflect company values or operations.
#antitrust-litigation #live-nation-and-ticketmaster #state-attorneys-general #internal-misconduct #consumer-protection
Read at Boston.com
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