In the class action suit, the fan claims Madonna and Live Nation “purposely and deceptively withheld” information about her concerts.
Madonna is being sued by a fan who claims he was “deceived” by her Celebration World Tour.
According to court documents Justen Lipeles filed a class action suit against the “Hung Up” singer, 65, in California on Thursday, May 30, that alleges the Queen of Pop and her promoter Live Nation “lulled” concertgoers into buying “expensive tickets” to her Celebration Tour shows held in February and March that “purposely and deceptively” withheld information in its marketing.
The plaintiff in the court complaint claims Madonna and Live Nation failed to inform ticket purchasers that the singer’s scheduled shows at four California venues would not start on time “as promised,” instead having to wait until after 10 p.m. for concerts to begin.
The filing also accuses the pop star of maintaining a “hot and uncomfortable temperature” during her performances, which the fan claims she “would lip-synch much of.”
Forum Entertainment, Kia Forum, Acrisure Arena, the Golden 1 Center and Chase Center were named in the lawsuit alongside Madonna and Live Nation.
The lawsuit also alleges that concertgoers were “forced to watch topless women” simulate “sexual acts” onstage during Madonna’s shows, “subjecting them to pornography without warning.”
Throughout her career, Madonna has maintained a sex-positive environment, with shows including erotic dancing, some NSFW touching, and even lap dances, as evidenced with Maluma and Ricky Martin, most recently.
The May complaint against Madonna accuses the music icon of having engaged in “unfair, unlawful, deceptive business practices” that demonstrated her “flippant disrespect for her fans.”
Per the documents, plaintiffs are suing the “Like a Virgin” singer and the listed parties for unspecified damages for breach of written contract, negligent misrepresentation, emotional distress, unfair competition and false advertising.
A rep for Madonna has not commented on the lawsuit.
In January, Madonna was sued by two fans who accused her of starting another concert on her Celebration Tour late at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, claiming “false advertising” for beginning a scheduled 8:30 p.m. concert at 10:30 p.m. Live Nation was also named in the lawsuit.
Three months after the filing, Madonna’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the two fans’ claims, claiming their accusations were not justified.
“Nowhere did Defendants advertise that Madonna would take the stage at 8.30 p.m., and no reasonable concertgoer — and certainly no Madonna fan — would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time,” the star’s lawyers stated, per court documents.
The attorneys added, “Rather, a reasonable concertgoer would understand that the venue’s doors will open at or before the ticketed time, one or more opening acts may perform while attendees arrive and make their way to their seats and before the headline act takes the stage, and the headline act will take the stage later in the evening.”
Marcus Corwin, the two fans’ attorney, previously said that his clients would file a response to Madonna’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit within 30 days. “We believe our response will address the issues raised in the MTD and that when the Court is fully briefed, we will be able to proceed with this action and obtain compensation for those ticket holders seeking refunds,” he said.
After the January lawsuit, Live Nation issued a statement, saying “Madonna’s just completed, sold out 2023 Celebration Tour in Europe received rave reviews. The shows opened in North America at Barclays in Brooklyn as planned, with the exception of a technical issue December 13th during soundcheck. This caused a delay that was well-documented in press reports at the time. We intend to defend this case vigorously.”
