COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
9 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Sep. 30, 2018 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
During 2018, the Company has entered into new, or it has exercised options to extend existing, long-term operating leases for office space and venues. These new or extended non-cancelable lease agreements have added future minimum rental commitments of approximately $5.8 million for the remainder of 2018, $29.6 million for 2019, $29.7 million for 2020, $32.0 million for 2021, $33.3 million for 2022 and $325.0 million thereafter. The Company has leases that contain contingent payment requirements for which payments vary depending on revenue, tickets sold or other variables.
During 2018, the Company has entered into new, or it has renewed existing, long-term non-cancelable contracts with various artists and ticketing clients. These new or renewed non-cancelable contracts have added future minimum commitments of approximately $34.1 million for the remainder of 2018, $315.3 million for 2019, $131.2 million for 2020, $209.4 million for 2021, $157.8 million for 2022 and $68.9 million thereafter.
Litigation
Securities Class Action Litigation
In April 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Company by Kathryn Poser, asserting claims for alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in statements and/or omissions pertaining to a consent decree related to its acquisition of Ticketmaster in 2010. On August 21, 2018, the plaintiff filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, without prejudice, thereby ending the litigation.
Consumer Class Actions
The following class action lawsuits were filed against Live Nation and/or Ticketmaster LLC in the United States and Canada: Vaccaro v. Ticketmaster LLC (Northern District of Illinois, filed September 2018); Ameri v. Ticketmaster LLC (Superior Court of California, Alameda County, filed September 2018); Lee v. Ticketmaster LLC, et al. (Northern District of California, filed September 2018); Thompson-Marcial v. Ticketmaster Canada Holdings ULC (Ontario Superior Court of Justice, filed September 2018); McPhee v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., et al. (Superior Court of Quebec, District of Montreal, filed September 2018); Crystal Watch v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., et al. (Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan, by amendments filed September 2018); Gaetano v. Live Nation Entertainment Inc., et al. (Northern District of New York, filed October 2018); Dickey v. Ticketmaster, LLC, et al. (Central District of California, filed October 2018); and Gomel v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., et al. (Supreme Court of British Columbia, filed October 2018). These lawsuits make similar factual allegations that Live Nation and/or Ticketmaster LLC engage in conduct that is intended to encourage the resale of tickets on secondary ticket exchanges at elevated prices. Based on these allegations, each plaintiff asserts violations of different state/provincial and federal laws. Each plaintiff also seeks to represent a class of individuals who purchased tickets on a secondary ticket exchange, as defined in each plaintiff’s complaint. The complaints seek a variety of remedies, including unspecified compensatory damages, punitive damages, restitution, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees and costs. Based on information presently known to management, the Company does not believe that a loss is probable of occurring at this time, and believes that the potential liability, if any, will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, cash flows or results of operations. Further, the Company does not currently believe that the claims asserted in these lawsuits have merit, and considerable uncertainty exists regarding any monetary damages that will be asserted against the Company. As a result, the Company is currently unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss for these matters. The Company intends to vigorously defend these actions.
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