The fourth week of Live Nation’s antitrust trial saw key defense witnesses take the stand, with the company accusing its biggest competitor of using underhanded tactics to prevent a key witness from testifying. Laurie Jacoby, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, testified about problems during SeatGeek’s tenure as the venue’s ticketer, including issues with on-sales for concerts by The Strokes and My Chemical Romance. Other Live Nation witnesses countered earlier testimony, with Jim Van Stone, president of business operations at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, praising Ticketmaster as a “great business partner”.
Expert witness Eric Budish, a University of Chicago professor, said Ticketmaster has a genuine competitive edge against rival ticketing services. However, during cross-examination, he admitted to being paid over $1 million by Live Nation for his services. The trial will continue Monday, with the potential for closing statements and jury deliberations in the next week. Live Nation has demanded sanctions against the states over accusations that AEG had secretly supplied them with a “dossier of personal information” about a former employee, which they then exploited to prevent him from testifying.
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