In early April, Madonna legally clapped back in response to disgruntled New York City fans who filed a class action lawsuit against the "Material Girl" back in January.
Now, she's facing a similar federal suit from fans in Washington D.C. as ticket buyers claim that the pop star showed "total disrespect for her fans" after two shows in the nation's capital last December.
The initial New York City suit stemmed from Madonna showing up late to three separate performances at Brooklyn's Barclays Center last December. Two ticket buyers, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, brought a lawsuit against the singer, arguing that Madonna and Live Nation "breached contracts with buyers and violated state laws covering false advertising and unfair business practices by starting the shows late."
Live Nation Entertainment is currently in hot water as the U.S. Department of Justice prepares to file an antitrust suit against the concert giant.
Fellows and Hadden allege that the star's lateness contributed to "injury and inconvenience" to attendees as the show's end time could have impacted transportation options and caused fans to stay up later than they intended. The two hope to "represent thousands of others who allegedly faced a similar experience."
Three fans from Washington D.C., Elizabeth Halper-Asefi, Mary Conoboy and Nestor Monte, Jr., are now citing both lateness and intolerable conditions in their suit against Madonna and Live Nation. The suit claims that Madonna's late start was "a wanton exercise in false advertising."
The plaintiffs' lawyers wrote that "Forcing consumers to wait hours for her performance in a hot, uncomfortable arena is demonstrative of Madonna's arrogant and total disrespect for her fans."
When she finally graced the stage, Madonna did not apologize for her belated appearance, telling concert goers: "I am sorry I am late... no, I am not sorry, it's who I am... I'm always late."
The Capital One Arena, where the star performed, claimed that the event would start at 8:30 p.m. Madonna did not start her set until 10:40 p.m. Her attorneys previously cited her lateness as something to be expected from the star.
"No reasonable concert goer --and certainly no Madonna fan-- would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time," said one representative of the superstar.
Attorneys for the D.C. fans went as far to call Madonna and Live Nation "a consumer's worst nightmare."
This string of suits is not Madonna's first rodeo with fans attempting to take her to court. In 2019, a Florida fan filed a lawsuit against Madonna and Live Nation when she showed up two hours late to a concert at the Fillmore Miami Beach. The fan, Nate Hollander, alleged that her late start time was a "breach of contract made between the singer and the ticket buyer." He dismissed the suit in December 2019, just one month after filing.
Madonna filed a motion for the New York City suit to be dismissed, but has yet to take action in response to the new D.C. related suit. She is currently performing on her The Celebration Tour in Mexico City this week, followed by a final show in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of May.
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