Major League Baseball Sued by Fans Seeking Refunds
A class action, filed by Milberg, alleges Major League Baseball has failed to refund ticket holders for the 2020 season in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
April 20, 2020 at 09:58 PM
2 minute read
A class action against Major League Baseball by ticket holders claims the league has denied refunds for the 2020 season in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the Central District of California, alleges fans who purchased tickets prior to the start of the 2020 season have not been able to get refunds. Two plaintiffs, a New York Mets season ticket holder and a fan who bought six tickets to the May 9 game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, filed the lawsuit.
"Fans are justified in crying foul over the league's ticket refund policy," said Milberg Phillips Grossman Co-Managing Partner Marc Grossman.
"During an unprecedented crisis, while so many businesses have provided refunds for services that can't be fulfilled, it remains notable that baseball—America's pastime—is forcing fans to take the loss on ticket sales," said Glenn Phillips, Milberg's other co-managing partner.
The suit also names Ticketmaster and StubHub, ticket merchants for MLB. Representatives from MLB and Ticketmaster did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, StubHub said it would provide customers of canceled events a coupon valued at 120% of their original order.
On March 12, MLB canceled the remainder of its spring training and postponed the start of the baseball season by two weeks due to the coronavirus. Speculation remains over whether the MLB could cancel the entire season, which consists of 162 games, or play it without spectators.
The potential nationwide class includes tens of thousands of fans who bought tickets directly from 30 member baseball teams, all of which are defendants in the case, as well as Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred and the ticket merchants. It alleges violations of California consumer fraud laws.
Ticketmaster, and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment Co., already face a class action filed on Friday on behalf of concertgoers seeking refunds.
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