Madonna sued for ‘pornography without warning’ at LA concert performance
A person who attended Madonna's Celebration world tour has filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that she showed them "pornographic material without prior notice" and that they "had no choice but to watch women on stage who were half-naked and performing sexual acts."
The Guardian has obtained information about a legal case filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles by Justen Lipeles. In the case, Lipeles makes several claims about Madonna's 7 March concert held at Kia Forum in the city. Live Nation, who promoted the concert, is also listed as a defendant.
Lipeles purchased four tickets worth $500 (£390) each, with the expectation that the concert would commence at 8:30 pm. However, Lipeles filed a legal complaint stating that the concert began at 10 pm without prior notice and blamed the defendants for this inconvenience.
The legal case is ongoing: According to the allegations, Madonna demanded that the air conditioning in the Kia Forum be turned off, causing the temperature inside the venue to become unbearably hot. As a result, Lipeles began sweating heavily and even felt sick due to the heat. Madonna reportedly responded to fans who complained about the heat by telling them to take off their clothes, which the plaintiffs consider unreasonable.
Moreover, the plaintiff noticed throughout the majority of the show that Madonna was miming.
While the show was going on, the complainant had to observe ladies without tops on the stage imitating sexual activities. It made the complainant sense that he was a witness to the production of a pornographic movie.
Lipeles is taking legal action due to a violation in agreement, careless misrepresentation, unjust competition, deceptive marketing and distress caused to emotions.
The lawsuit accuses Madonna of deliberately and severely causing emotional harm through her actions. It alleges that she acted with the knowledge that her behavior was likely to cause significant emotional distress.
Lipeles is requesting payment for damages, including the expenses incurred by his legal representation and a reimbursement for the tickets he purchased for the concert.
The lawsuit has not elicited any comments from Madonna or Live Nation. The Guardian has reached out to their representatives seeking their feedback.
The situation is similar to another legal case that occurred earlier during the Celebration tour.
Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, residents of New York, filed a lawsuit against Madonna in January. They claimed that the pop icon started her concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn very late – but they didn't accuse her of inappropriate images. According to the plaintiffs, Madonna began her show at 10:30 pm which resulted in them being "abandoned" after they decided to leave at 1 am. They further claimed that the delayed start of the concert impacted their ability to work the following day, as they had to wake up early.
Madonna and Live Nation released a statement asserting their intent to fight the case with determination, blaming the delayed start on a technical problem.
Madonna had lawsuits filed against her back in 2019 and 2020 due to her tardiness during the Madame X tour, but these were ultimately thrown out.
Despite Lipeles, Fellows, and Hadden feeling dissatisfied, the Celebration tour has been positively received by both critics and viewers. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian has given the tour four stars, saying that the strengths are very impressive.
The tour ended by holding a free concert on the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for around 1.6 million individuals after giving 80 performances and making $225 million from ticket sales.
