StubHub, Ticketmaster and two affiliated companies yesterday "were dismissed from the suit" started by MLB fans in April due to their inability to obtain ticket refunds for unplayed games, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer in three weeks is "scheduled to decide whether to throw out the case entirely," as requested by MLB and its teams, the lone remaining defendants. MLB had advised teams to "list unplayed games as postponed rather than canceled, leaving fans 'stuck with expensive and unusable tickets for unplayable games in the midst of this economic crisis.'" Shaikin notes by July, when the league filed its response, a truncated season was underway without fans, and every team was offering fans a choice of refunds or credits. Fischer upheld the StubHub and Ticketmaster contracts that "require ticket buyers to settle any disputes through arbitration rather than litigation." He directed the three plaintiffs that had bought tickets from those companies "to pursue any claims in arbitration." Fischer also "dismissed StubHub and Ticketmaster from the litigation with respect to the remaining plaintiffs, who had bought tickets directly from a team" (L.A. TIMES, 9/15).
