Live Nation Found to Have Illegal Monopoly, Jury Says Fans Were Overcharged | Live Nation, Ticketmaster | Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment, Photos and Videos

Live Nation has been found to be illegally operating as a monopoly.

The company, which owns Ticketmaster, was found to be overcharging fans by a federal jury’s verdict handed down on Wednesday (April 15).

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Now, the company might have to divest parts of its business or split off from Ticketmaster, per BBC.

Judge Arun Subramanian will decide what punishment Live Nation faces, including a potential financial penalty.

The jury found Ticketmaster had “overcharged customers by $1.72 on each ticket sold,” and that will be used as the basis of the damages, BBC reports.

Live Nation insisted it did not operate as a monopoly and competes with other concert promoters.

Donald Trump‘s Department of Justice initially settled the federal case, but more than 30 states rejected that deal in order to go forward with a civil trial.

“We are incredibly proud of today’s outcome — and especially proud of our coalition made up of red and blue states alike who understood we needed to come together to protect our consumers, businesses, and state economies from Live Nation’s illegal conduct,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement.

“In the face of dwindling antitrust enforcement by the Trump Administration, this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip off Americans,” the California AG added.

One of the biggest events to impact the probe of Live Nation was Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour, which forced Ticketmaster to issue an apology amid the overloaded demand.

Just weeks before, two Live Nation ticketing directors came under fire online after leaked messages revealed they bragged about charging fans high prices.