Two NJ Ticket Brokers Settle Legal Disputes With State

TRENTON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Two New Jersey ticket brokers have settled legal disputes with the state's Attorney General by agrreeing to stop speculative ticket sales and for both to pay $5,000.

The two firms; Almost Backstage (abtickets.com) and Ticket Town (northeasttickets.com) did not admit to wrong-doing but did agree to pony up with a fine and agreed to stop offering tickets they did not yet for resale at inflated prices.

"We want to end the fraud committed against the public through the offering of phantom tickets," State's Attorney General Anne Milgram said. "Our message to the ticket resale industry is very clear – it is fraud to sell something you don’t have."

The agreements by the two firms settled legal disputes which have been underway since May after a Bruce Springsteen ticketing flap over a the performers' Giant Stadium concerts when law enforcement officials purchased "phantom" tickets from the brokers before they went on-sale.

"We continue our efforts to produce a level-playing field for consumers who expect, and are entitled to, an equal opportunity to purchase tickets when seats initially go on sale," said David Szuchman, Consumer Affairs Director. "We will take legal action against those ticket sellers who don’t voluntarily stop their deceptions and false promises."

Additional lawsuits against Select-A-Ticket, Orbitz Worldwide (cheaptickets.com) and TicketNetwork are ongoing. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers