A Celebration tour concertgoer has sued Madonna, alleging that the show started late, the venue was uncomfortably hot, and fans were subjected to "pornography without warning." Justen Lipeles filed the lawsuit against Madonna on May 29, 2024, in Los Angeles.
In the lawsuit, he accuses her of breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, unfair competition, false advertising, and emotional distress. His complaints were about her March 7 concert at LA's Kia Forum, which he paid $500 per ticket to attend, reported The Guardian.
He called Madonna's actions "demonstrative of Madonna's flippant disrespect for her fans," and accused her of lip-syncing. In the lawsuit, Lipeles also alleges that the show was meant to start at 8:30 p.m. but actually started at 10 p.m.
Additionally, he claims that the venue was unbearably hot, and alleges that Madonna insisted on keeping the air conditioning off. Aside from the discomfort that came from Madonna allegedly "forcing consumers to wait hours in hot, uncomfortable arenas," Lipeles says the heat made him "physically ill."
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The actual performance was also mentioned in the lawsuit, as Lipeles alleges that the show felt "pornographic."
“During the performance plaintiff was forced to watch topless women on stage simulating sex acts," the lawsuit claims. It also notes that he "felt like he was watching a pornographic film being made.”
He claims that “such actions were done with the intent to cause serious emotional distress or with reckless disregard of the probability of causing … serious emotional distress," reported The Guardian.
Lipeles also named Live Nation as a defendant in the lawsuit. He allges that the people involved in the concert "did not provide any notice" about the delayed start time.
Live Nation and Madonna allegedly "purposely and deceptively withheld informing ticket purchasers," according to the lawsuit.
The heat at the venue was also reportedly so bad that fans complained, Lipeles claims, and Madonna allegedly dismissed the concerns by telling fans to take their clothes off, the Blast reported.
This is not the first time a fan has sued Madonna for "false advertising." In January, two fans sued Madonna after her shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York reportedly started two hours late.
In April, Madonna filed a motion to have the case dismissed, with her lawyers justifying the late start time by saying, "no reasonable concertgoers — and certainly no Madonna fan — would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time."
“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," they continued.
