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FTC and four states demand jury trial in BOTS Act lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster
The FTC and Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Nebraska have demanded a jury trial on issues in their BOTS Act lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The case alleges the companies resold tickets they knew, or should have known, brokers had acquired by evading Ticketmaster’s ticket limits.
The demand was filed on the last day of the 14-day period after the companies answered the complaint. The FTC’s request for an order to stop the alleged practices would still be decided by a judge; Tennessee, Utah and Virginia are not named in the jury demand. The wider lawsuit, filed in September 2025, says resale tickets generated US$3.7 billion in fees from 2019 to 2024. A judge rejected the companies’ motion to dismiss, while stressing that the allegations had not been proven.
In short
- The FTC and four states seek a jury trial in the BOTS Act case.
- The demand was filed on the final day of the 14-day deadline.
- The lawsuit says resale tickets generated US$3.7 billion in fees.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The FTC and states can argue that a jury should decide whether Live Nation and Ticketmaster knowingly benefited from brokers who evaded ticket limits, as the lawsuit alleges. A jury trial could provide public scrutiny and accountability if the evidence shows the companies’ conduct breached the BOTS Act and harmed ticket buyers.
The case against
Live Nation and Ticketmaster can argue that allegations are not proof, and that a jury should find a violation only if the evidence establishes the companies knew, or should have known, how brokers obtained the tickets. They may also contend that resale activity and substantial fees alone do not establish unlawful conduct, so the case must turn on the specific facts and legal requirements.
Explained simply
The Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act is a US law aimed at stopping people from using computer programmes to get around online ticket limits. Ticket brokers buy tickets to resell, and Live Nation owns Ticketmaster, which sells tickets and handles some resales.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a US consumer protection agency, and several states say the companies resold tickets that brokers had obtained by bypassing Ticketmaster’s limits. The companies have denied the allegations, which a judge has allowed to proceed but has not found proven.
The lawsuit concerns how tickets are bought and resold, and the fees charged in that market. A jury could decide issues in the case, while a judge would rule on the FTC’s request to stop the alleged practices.