Live Nation has ended a lawsuit brought by a concertgoer who alleged lax security allowed a fight to break out that resulted in him suffering a traumatic brain injury at a Luke Bryan concert.
Live Nation and concertgoer Gary Stanhope agreed to formally dismiss the lawsuit Wednesday following a settlement in July. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
In 2024, Stanhope sued Live Nation, telling a Connecticut court that the concert promotions company failed to provide a reasonably safe environment for patrons to enjoy the concert and failed to provide adequate security. Stanhope said in the complaint that he was at a Luke Bryan concert in 2022 at what was then known as Xfinity Theater, a venue owned by Live Nation, in Hartford, Connecticut. Near the end of the show, a prolonged fight broke out and Stanhope stepped in to help a woman who was being assaulted, according to his attorneys. “Without any specific cause or provocation Stanhope was assaulted and violently beaten,” the complaint claimed. After being knocked out, Stanhope’s head hit the pavement, causing permanent brain injuries and compromising his ability to work, his attorneys said.
Live Nation had the case moved to federal court where the company argued that it hired more than a hundred security guards and more than a dozen police officers as well as screened attendees. Stanhope was injured by the criminally reckless conduct of people it had no control over, Live Nation said. The concert promotion company asked the court to throw out the lawsuit, but a judge sided with Stanhope in ruling that enough evidence was in dispute about whether security was tight enough at the show for it to head towards trial, court records show.
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Before the trial could occur, the two sides came to an agreement on a settlement, court records showed.
Live Nation is currently dealing with another legal case. In April, a jury held Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster liable for illegally monopolizing the live events market. Live Nation has appealed that verdict and is attempting to have it overturned.
