Court Grants Summary Judgment For Live Nation Entertainment In Antitrust Litigation

A federal court inMaryland yesterday ruled in favor of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV) and summarily dismissed all claims in a lawsuit filed in 2009 by It's MyParty, Inc., and It's My Amphitheatre, Inc., whose principal is concertpromoter Seth Hurwitz. The lawsuit alleged violations of federal and stateantitrust laws.In issuing summary judgment, the court invalidated key elements of theplaintiffs' expert testimony, effectively rejecting allegations that LiveNation coerced any artists, violated any antitrust laws, or engaged in anyanti-competitive conduct whatsoever. The full text of the order can be foundat https://www.wsgr.com/PDFs/livenation-0215.pdf. Live Nation issued the following statement regarding the ruling: "We are very pleased with the judge's ruling, which we believe validates LiveNation's business approach and practices, and which aligns with ourlong-standing belief that the accusations made in this case were completelyfalse. We feel vindicated that the court was able to see through the baselessallegations by a rival promoter and recognize that the claims ofanti-competitive conduct had no merit. Our focus is, and will continue to be,providing a world-class live music experience for artists and their millionsof fans."