The Stone Church sues StubHub for $5 million over deceptive ticketing

The Stone Church, an independent music venue in Brattleboro, Vermont, has filed a lawsuit against ticket resale platform StubHub in federal court in Manhattan. The venue is seeking more than $5 million in damages and a court order to compel changes to how StubHub sells tickets for its shows.

The lawsuit alleges trademark infringement, false advertising, and deceptive marketing practices under the Lanham Act. Specific allegations include the use of false scarcity warnings, such as claiming limited stock remains when inventory is plentiful, and the use of “lowest price” badges on tickets that are actually marked up significantly above face value.

Additionally, the venue accuses the platform of facilitating speculative selling, where brokers list tickets they do not yet own. This legal action follows the implementation of a Vermont law, Act 109, which caps ticket resale prices at 110 percent of the original price for certain independent venues and prohibits speculative ticket sales.