Class-action procedure seeks $500M from Ticketmaster

Two law firms have launched class-action procedures against Ticketmaster and related parties in Ontario.

The firms say they represent people who were overcharged when they bought tickets from Ticketmaster or TicketsNow.com since February 2007.

Lawyers from Sutts, Strosberg in Windsor, Ont., and Branch McMaster in Vancouver say they're representing a client who allegedly paid more than $500 for two tickets from TicketsNow that would have cost about $130 if they had been available from Ticketmaster.

"The mere fact that Ticketmaster has a financial interest in both retail and premium ticket sales leads to an obvious question about the process by which those tickets are sold to members of the public and how it works," said Jay Strosberg, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiff, in a news release.

The law firms claim Ticketmaster and the other defendants owe a total of $500 million in damages to their client and others who were overcharged. They also allege the defendants violated Ontario law.

Ticketmaster has said in response to prior complaints that the company's ticket-selling system is fair and doesn't violate the law.