A recent court filing reveals a massive data breach that compromised the personal information of millions of customers, leading to significant legal action. On June 14, 2024, plaintiffs Chastine Dickey-Johnson and Serena Chapman filed a class-action complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Ticketmaster, LLC and Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
The lawsuit alleges that on or about May 20, 2024, a data breach occurred affecting approximately 560 million Ticketmaster customers. The compromised information includes full names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details. Plaintiffs claim that the defendants failed to secure this personally identifiable information (PII) adequately. The hacker group ShinyHunters has taken responsibility for the breach and is demanding a ransom of $500,000 to prevent the data from being sold on the dark web.
According to the complaint, Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment were aware of potential vulnerabilities but did not take sufficient measures to protect customer data. The plaintiffs argue that this negligence constitutes an invasion of privacy and exposes them to increased risks of identity theft and fraud. "The invasion of privacy suffered in this Data Breach constitutes an injury in fact," states the complaint. Furthermore, it accuses the defendants of failing to notify affected individuals promptly and accurately about the breach.
The plaintiffs are seeking various forms of relief from the court. They request equitable relief enjoining defendants from engaging in wrongful conduct related to PII misuse or disclosure. Additionally, they seek injunctive relief requiring defendants to implement comprehensive information security programs and delete PII unless justified by reasonable retention needs. Plaintiffs also demand damages including actual, nominal, statutory, consequential, and punitive damages along with attorneys' fees and litigation expenses.
Representing the plaintiffs are attorneys Gary F. Lynch from Lynch Carpenter LLP and Paul J. Doolittle from Poulin | Willey | Anastasopoulo. The case is assigned Civil Action No. 2:24-cv-2623 before Judge Chad F. Kenney.