Dodgers News: Fans sue MLB, ticket partners for refunds on 2020 tickets

Two fans are suing Major League Baseball and its ticket partners for failure to issue refunds on games unlikely to be played.

Did you buy Dodgers tickets before the season, excited to see the newly renovated Dodger Stadium? Have you tried calling to get a refund since it’s pretty clear baseball won’t be returning in front of fans anytime soon? Did you run out of luck trying to get your money back?

Well, two fans have issued a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Major League Baseball and its leading ticket partners for their failure to provide refunds for games that are unlikely to be played.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit claims the defendants, which include Major League Baseball, each of the 30 teams, and four ticket partners (StubHub, Ticketmaster, Live Nation and Last Minute Transactions) violated five laws, with three specific to California law related to consumer protection and unfair competition.

“While many businesses across this country have acted lawfully and ethically by providing consumers with refunds for events that will never occur during this pandemic, sometimes at the risk of bankruptcy, it remains notable that America’s pastime — baseball — is refusing to do right by its fans,” the lawsuit reads according to the LA Times.

It is not clear which team(s) the two fans originally purchased the tickets from.

Fans who have tried to receive refunds from the Dodgers have been pointed to a league-wide policy that treats games lost due to the coronavirus pandemic similar to rainouts, with fans being advised to keep their tickets until they receive word on when the games will be rescheduled.

Major League Baseball suspended baseball operations on March 13 when the Dodgers were in the middle of Spring Training in Arizona. They were set to return to Dodger Stadium for a Freeway Series exhibition at the end of March, which was officially canceled, and fans were able to receive refunds for those games.

However, fans who purchased more expensive regular season games have not been able to get their money back. The schedule on the Dodgers official website includes a disclaimer on the top of the page that reads:

“MLB will keep fans updated on decisions regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead. The Clubs remain committed to playing as many games as possible when the season begins.”

Games are listed as “postponed” instead of canceled on the team’s schedule.

Major League Baseball is considering a variety of options for how they could possibly start the 2020 season in the middle of a public health crisis. Based on current social distancing guidelines issued by public health officials and the CDC, the only plausible scenario for playing games this summer would be to do so without fans in attendance—something that has created another financial hiccup for the league as the owners and MLB Player’s Association seem to disagree over how much the players should be paid in such a scenario.

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So far 15 Dodger home games have been pushed off the calendar due to the current situation. Meanwhile, commissioner Rob Manfred is allowing teams, effective May 1, to start furloughing or reducing the pay of employees, as the league clearly struggles, or no longer wants to bleed cash flow.