Court filing reveals President Trump spoke to Live Nation CEO before antitrust case was settled

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump personally spoke with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in February regarding the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against the company, though they did not discuss settlement details, according to a court filing.
• White House lawyers participated in various communications and meetings between Live Nation and the Justice Department during February and March, preceding the Justice Department's sudden settlement announcement.
• The Justice Department settled the lawsuit just days into the March trial, a move most states opposed, arguing it failed to sufficiently address Ticketmaster's market dominance; the trial continued, resulting in a jury ruling that Live Nation held a monopoly harming consumers.
• The jury found Ticketmaster's practices caused consumers in 22 states to overpay by $1.72 per ticket, with potential refunds ordered, and state attorneys general hope the verdict will help reduce ticket prices.
• The federal settlement imposed service fee caps at some venues and allowed for new ticket-selling options that could introduce competition, but Live Nation stated the jury verdict is not the final outcome of the matter.