Ticketmaster, the global ticketing powerhouse, is once again in the legal spotlight—this time in Quebec, where a class action lawsuit over its service fee practices is moving forward after a judge’s recent green light. The case, which could impact thousands of ticket buyers and potentially reshape ticket pricing transparency across Canada, centers on claims that Ticketmaster’s fees are excessive, unfair, and disconnected from the actual cost of services provided.
On January 13, 2026, multiple outlets including The Economic Times, Resident Advisor, Rolling Out, and Cleveland.com reported that Quebec’s Superior Court had approved a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster. The ruling, issued on January 5, 2026, by Justice Eleni Yiannakis, found that the case satisfied all legal requirements to proceed to trial. This decision opens the door for a full hearing on whether Ticketmaster’s service fees violate Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act and Civil Code.
The roots of the lawsuit trace back to August 2024, when Montreal law firm Paquette Gadler Inc. filed the complaint on behalf of Felipe Morales, a local immigration lawyer. Morales’s story, as detailed by Music Business Worldwide and The Economic Times, is a familiar one for frustrated concertgoers: in 2022, Morales tried to purchase four floor seats for a Bruce Springsteen concert at $225 each. However, during the checkout process, he was abruptly removed from the site. By the time he returned, the original seats were gone, and he was forced to buy different, less desirable tickets—this time paying $1,000 per ticket plus $599 in service fees, totaling around 15% of the $4,000 bill. "When the Plaintiff attempted to finalize his purchase, he received a message to the effect that his ‘transaction could not be finalized’," the lawsuit states, according to Music Business Worldwide.
Morales’s experience is at the heart of the class action, but the case has much broader implications. The approved class includes all Quebec residents who purchased tickets for North American events through Ticketmaster since July 26, 2021. Given Ticketmaster’s dominance in the live events market, attorneys expect the class could encompass thousands—if not tens of thousands—of consumers.
At the core of the legal dispute is Ticketmaster’s practice of basing service fees on the price of the ticket, rather than the actual cost of providing ticketing services. Plaintiffs argue that this model leads to “excessive, unreasonable, abusive and disproportionate” fees—a direct violation, they say, of Quebec’s consumer protection laws. As Rolling Out explained, buyers of expensive tickets end up paying significantly higher fees, even though the company’s services (payment processing, customer support, event staffing) remain essentially the same regardless of ticket price. In some cases, these fees can add 20% or more to the face value of a ticket, a burden that many fans only discover at the final checkout screen.
Ticketmaster, for its part, has pushed back against these allegations. The company has consistently defended its pricing model, emphasizing that service fees are split between Ticketmaster and the venues to cover essential operational costs. "Ticketmaster‘s share of service fees is typically around 5–7% of the total ticket price," a spokesperson told Music Business Worldwide. The company also points to its “all-in” pricing approach in Canada, which it says has displayed total costs upfront since 2018. "We believe the most fair and transparent approach is showing fans the total cost upfront, which we’ve done in Canada since 2018," Ticketmaster stated, as cited by Music Business Worldwide.
Ticketmaster further argues that scaling fees by ticket price helps keep cheaper tickets accessible, suggesting that the system actually benefits budget-conscious fans. The company maintains that the fees are necessary to support the infrastructure required for secure, efficient ticket sales and smooth event operations. These expenses, Ticketmaster says, include everything from venue staffing to anti-fraud technology and payment processing systems.
But for many consumers and advocates, the issue isn’t just about the math—it’s about transparency and fairness. Plaintiffs and consumer rights supporters argue that the current system leaves buyers in the dark about the true cost of attending events until the last moment. They believe that clearer fee disclosure rules and a pricing structure more closely tied to actual service costs would help fans make informed decisions—and avoid sticker shock at checkout. As Cleveland.com noted, some hope this lawsuit could lead to industry-wide changes in how ticket fees are displayed and charged, not just in Quebec but across Canada and possibly beyond.
The Quebec class action is only one piece of a mounting legal puzzle for Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment. The companies are facing a barrage of lawsuits and regulatory investigations across North America. In the United States, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Live Nation in 2024, with parts of the case surviving dismissal in March 2025, according to Music Business Worldwide. The Federal Trade Commission has also lodged complaints about Ticketmaster’s business practices, while a privacy-related class action was filed in California in January 2026, alleging unauthorized tracking of website users. Taylor Swift fans, too, have taken the company to court over Eras Tour ticket sales, recently clearing a key legal hurdle in November 2025.
Internationally, scrutiny is growing as well. In Mexico, Ticketmaster agreed last year to participate in a government mediation service, promising to offer seven-day customer support and resolve complaints within 21 days.
Legal experts and consumer advocates say the outcome of the Quebec lawsuit could set an important precedent. If the plaintiffs succeed in proving that Ticketmaster’s fees violate Quebec law, it could embolden similar legal actions in other provinces or even internationally. The case also shines a spotlight on the broader issue of transparency in ticket pricing—a topic that has long frustrated fans and sparked calls for reform.
No trial date has been set yet in the Quebec case. As proceedings move forward, both sides will have opportunities to present evidence and arguments. The court will ultimately determine whether Ticketmaster’s fee practices comply with Quebec law, and whether affected consumers are entitled to refunds or damages.
For now, ticket buyers across Quebec—and perhaps beyond—are watching closely. The outcome could change not only how much fans pay to see their favorite artists and teams, but also how clearly they understand the costs before clicking “buy.”
