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The Live Nation trial restarts with a ‘velvet hammer’

The Verge / 3/17/2026

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Key Points

  • The trial between the DOJ and Live Nation-Ticketmaster resumed after a mid-trial settlement, with dozens of states now leading the case.
  • States had sought a mistrial to reset the proceedings, but Judge Arun Subramanian appeared likely to deny that request.
  • The restart followed a chaotic week and concerns about how to control the case and potential jury prejudice after the settlement.
  • The development highlights ongoing antitrust scrutiny in the US live-events and ticketing market.
An event ticket with a cutout of the US

After a chaotic week following the Justice Department's mid-trial settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster, the antitrust trial picked back up surprisingly smoothly on Monday - this time, with dozens of states leading the case.

This isn't the outcome the states originally wanted. Out of concerns about being able to effectively take over the case and fear that the jury would be prejudiced by the shakeup, they requested a mistrial, which would have restarted the court battle at an unknown future date. But an irritated Judge Arun Subramanian seemed likely to deny the request, and once the states figured out how to retain the DOJ's expert witn …

Read the full story at The Verge.