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DOJ's Live Nation-Ticketmaster Settlement Criticized by Former Antitrust Attorneys

Former U.S. Department of Justice antitrust attorneys, key to the Live Nation-Ticketmaster case, have strongly criticized the department's sudden settlement, citing "selective non-prosecution of political allies."

Variety Music·Jun 8, 2026·via Variety Music

DOJ's Live Nation-Ticketmaster Settlement Criticized by Former Antitrust Attorneys

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Jun 8, 2026 2:25pm PT

Former DoJ Antitrust Attorneys Slam Live Nation-Ticketmaster Settlement: ‘It Is Deeply Troubling That the Antitrust Division Is Engaged in Selective Non-Prosecution of Political Allies’

By Andrew Flanagan

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Andrew Flanagan

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Two former top antitrust attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice who were central to its case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster had strong words for the department following its abrupt settlement with the company just one week after the trial — which saw the DOJ and over 30 states accusing the company of monopolistic business practices — began in March.

“When I stood up and gave the opening statement in this case, I believed that we were going to win,” David Dahlquist, the former Deputy Director of Litigation and who led the case against, told the audience at the National Independent Venues Alliance’s annual conference , which began Monday in Minneapolis. “And when the settlement was entered, I still believed that we were going to win … I knew the case, I knew the witnesses, I knew the evidence.”