New York
Antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster continues with states leading
NEW YORK (AP) — The antitrust trial of Live Nation and Ticketmaster resumed Monday in a New York federal court with three dozen states remaining in the case a week after the Justice Department settled its claims and withdrew.
Judge Arun Subramanian greeted jurors in Manhattan federal court by asking them if they had heard any news about the trial in the week in which it was suspended after one week of testimony.
After no jurors raised hands, he told them Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota had settled claims and were no longer part of the case.
Testimony then resumed with an attorney for the remaining states questioning Jay Marciano, the chief executive of AEG Presents, which is Live Nation’s chief competitor.
For a time last week, it seemed the trial might not proceed at all. The states requested a mistrial after U.S. government lawyers said they’d reached a tentative settlement. After the judge urged the states to negotiate for several days with attorneys for Live Nation, the states withdrew their mistrial request and Subramanian said the trial would resume Monday.
On Friday, lawyers for the states indicated that seven states were well on their way to joining the federal government’s planned settlement, but the judge said any state that had not reached a final signed deal by Monday would remain in the case until they did.
As the trial resumed, 36 states and the District of Columbia continued to press claims that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are blocking competition and driving up prices for fans. They say this was done through threats, retaliation and other tactics to control virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.
Lawyers for Live Nation and Ticketmaster have tried to show jurors that the entertainment and ticketing business is more complicated than the states are portraying it and that it’s impossible to monopolize an industry that is largely controlled by artists, sports teams and venues that set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
The Justice Department said last week that it settled its case after winning concessions from Live Nation that would open up some ticketing to rival ticketing companies and ultimately lower prices for consumers. Numerous states criticized the deal, saying the federal government failed to get enough concessions from the company.
North Carolina
Sinema admits a romance with her security guard as she fights ex-wife’s lawsuit
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema acknowledges having a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail that began while she was a lawmaker, according to legal documents. But she also contends she shouldn’t be subject to a lawsuit by the man’s ex-wife who blames Sinema for the marriage breakup.
The North Carolina federal court litigation seeks financial damages from Sinema, who represented Arizona in the U.S. House and later the Senate for one term that ended early last year.
Heather Ammel contends in a lawsuit that she and husband Matthew had “a good and loving marriage” and “genuine love and affection” existed between them before Sinema interfered, pursuing him despite knowing he was married.
In a signed March 7 declaration attached to a lawsuit motion filed this week, Sinema said her relationship with Matthew Ammel “became romantic and intimate” at the end of May 2024 and “physically intimate” over the next several months in California, New York, Colorado, Arizona and Washington, D.C. The Ammels separated in November 2024, the lawsuit said.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow jilted spouses to sue for “alienation of affection” to seek damages from a third party responsible for the breakup of their marriage.
Sinema’s declaration rejects allegations by Heather Ammel that Sinema made phone calls and sent internet communications to her husband with the knowledge that he was physically present in North Carolina and at times with his wife and the couple’s children. Sinema did send Matthew Hamel a message while he was in North Carolina after he had already found a new place to live and “when the marriage was already over,” Sinema attorney Steven Epstein wrote in asking the lawsuit be dismissed.
Sinema’s “conduct related to her romantic relationship with Mr. Ammel does not connect her to North Carolina in a meaningful way,” Epstein wrote Thursday, adding that no jury would believe that the one message “had any bearing on the destruction of marital love and affection.”
Sinema’s head of security hired Ammel after he retired from the Army in 2022, according to the lawsuit, and in early 2024, Heather Ammel discovered messages between Sinema and her husband on the Signal messaging app that were of “romantic and lascivious natures.” That summer, Matthew Ammel stopped wearing his wedding ring and Sinema gave him a job on her Senate staff while he continued to work as her bodyguard, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit was initially filed in September in North Carolina state court, but it was moved to federal court in January.
Sinema declined to seek Senate reelection in 2024 following a term in which she left the Democratic Party to become an independent. She now works for a Washington-based legal and lobbying firm.
Georgia
Prosecutor drops vehicular homicide charge against teen charged in death of teacher
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia prosecutor has decided to drop charges against a teenager who police say was driving the truck that struck and killed a beloved high school teacher when a prank turned deadly, the teen’s lawyer said. The victim’s family had urged authorities not to compound the tragedy by prosecuting the teen driver and his friends.
The 40-year-old teacher, Jason Hughes, died after slipping and falling into the street as the teens started to drive away after participating in a community tradition of pranking teachers by throwing toilet paper onto his front lawn.
The students had stopped and rendered aid to Hughes until emergency responders arrived. Hughes was brought to the hospital and died on March 6, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jayden Ryan Wallace — the 18-year-old The driver, whom his lawyer said adored Hughes and considered him a mentor — was arrested on a felony charge of vehicular homicide, and four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
Graham McKinnon, a lawyer who represents Wallace, said Friday that the charges against his client had been dropped. McKinnon said that prosecutors also dropped misdemeanor charges against the four other teens who were there.
The students had gone to Hughes’ home around 11:40 p.m. on March 6 and began wrapping his trees with toilet paper, the sheriff’s office said. The teens started to leave when Hughes came outside — his family said he had heard in advance about the prank and hoped to surprise them.
McKinnon said Wallace and his friends were playing a “competitive game” that has long been a tradition at North Hall High School.
“In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident,” McKinnon said in a statement.
Vehicular homicide charges, he said, didn’t make sense because Jaden didn’t use his car unsafely or improperly.
“Jaden is still grieving deeply, but he’s determined eventually to carry on and live his life in a way that would make Coach Hughes proud.”
Hughes — who taught math and helped coach golf, football and baseball at North Hall High School in Gainesville — was a “mentor” to Wallace, McKinnon said.
“I pledge to live out the remainder of my life in a manner that honors the memory of Coach Hughes by exemplifying Christ. He will never be forgotten,” Wallace said in a statement released by his family on Wednesday.
Hughes’ family had issued a statement earlier this week saying he knew and loved the five students involved and urging authorities to drop all charges against them.
Utah
Judge in Charlie Kirk killing case denies some efforts to limit media access
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
The outcome sets the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.
Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the heightened media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow and attorneys for news organizations have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. They have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Attorneys on Friday debated whether the defense’s written request to exclude cameras, which was classified by the court as private, should be made public.
Graf said the defense failed to make its case to keep the motion private but that he will continue “balancing all the factors” when deciding which portions of the upcoming hearing may be closed.
Staci Visser, an attorney for Robinson, told the judge before the ruling that the defense is not arguing in the court of public opinion.
“There seems to be an idea that flooding the public sphere with information from this courtroom will somehow dispel conspiracy theories or shift public narratives. That, in and of itself, is concerning to the defense,” Visser said. “All we should be worried about is protecting what happens in this courtroom.”
Robinson’s defense team went on to say that the April 17 hearing will involve discussions about prejudicial pretrial publicity, such as evidence that has yet to be admitted, personal opinions about guilt or public statements that would otherwise be inadmissible in court. Revisiting that in open court could end up “reinflicting a wound” to Robinson’s rights, defense attorney Michael Burt said.
Christopher Ballard, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dismissed those arguments. He said careful questioning during jury selection and tools like expanding the jury pool can ensure a defendant gets a fair trial.
“So just saying that this is a content tornado or there’s been a barrage of media coverage doesn’t necessarily mean that there is going to be prejudice to the defendant,” Ballard said.
Ballard noted that most of the evidence that will be discussed in April is already public, so most of the hearing should be open.
Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, have been fighting to preserve media access in the case. Michael Judd, an attorney for the news media, urged the judge to keep the upcoming hearing entirely open.
Media access has been a focal point of several recent hearings, with the judge placing temporary restrictions on local TV stations for showing Robinson’s shackles in violation of a court order and filming close-up shots that might allow viewers to interpret what he was discussing with his attorneys.
The judge also has prevented full video recordings of Kirk’s shooting from being shown in court after defense attorneys argued the graphic footage would interfere with a fair trial. An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism.
Antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster continues with states leading
NEW YORK (AP) — The antitrust trial of Live Nation and Ticketmaster resumed Monday in a New York federal court with three dozen states remaining in the case a week after the Justice Department settled its claims and withdrew.
Judge Arun Subramanian greeted jurors in Manhattan federal court by asking them if they had heard any news about the trial in the week in which it was suspended after one week of testimony.
After no jurors raised hands, he told them Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota had settled claims and were no longer part of the case.
Testimony then resumed with an attorney for the remaining states questioning Jay Marciano, the chief executive of AEG Presents, which is Live Nation’s chief competitor.
For a time last week, it seemed the trial might not proceed at all. The states requested a mistrial after U.S. government lawyers said they’d reached a tentative settlement. After the judge urged the states to negotiate for several days with attorneys for Live Nation, the states withdrew their mistrial request and Subramanian said the trial would resume Monday.
On Friday, lawyers for the states indicated that seven states were well on their way to joining the federal government’s planned settlement, but the judge said any state that had not reached a final signed deal by Monday would remain in the case until they did.
As the trial resumed, 36 states and the District of Columbia continued to press claims that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are blocking competition and driving up prices for fans. They say this was done through threats, retaliation and other tactics to control virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.
Lawyers for Live Nation and Ticketmaster have tried to show jurors that the entertainment and ticketing business is more complicated than the states are portraying it and that it’s impossible to monopolize an industry that is largely controlled by artists, sports teams and venues that set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
The Justice Department said last week that it settled its case after winning concessions from Live Nation that would open up some ticketing to rival ticketing companies and ultimately lower prices for consumers. Numerous states criticized the deal, saying the federal government failed to get enough concessions from the company.
North Carolina
Sinema admits a romance with her security guard as she fights ex-wife’s lawsuit
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema acknowledges having a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail that began while she was a lawmaker, according to legal documents. But she also contends she shouldn’t be subject to a lawsuit by the man’s ex-wife who blames Sinema for the marriage breakup.
The North Carolina federal court litigation seeks financial damages from Sinema, who represented Arizona in the U.S. House and later the Senate for one term that ended early last year.
Heather Ammel contends in a lawsuit that she and husband Matthew had “a good and loving marriage” and “genuine love and affection” existed between them before Sinema interfered, pursuing him despite knowing he was married.
In a signed March 7 declaration attached to a lawsuit motion filed this week, Sinema said her relationship with Matthew Ammel “became romantic and intimate” at the end of May 2024 and “physically intimate” over the next several months in California, New York, Colorado, Arizona and Washington, D.C. The Ammels separated in November 2024, the lawsuit said.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow jilted spouses to sue for “alienation of affection” to seek damages from a third party responsible for the breakup of their marriage.
Sinema’s declaration rejects allegations by Heather Ammel that Sinema made phone calls and sent internet communications to her husband with the knowledge that he was physically present in North Carolina and at times with his wife and the couple’s children. Sinema did send Matthew Hamel a message while he was in North Carolina after he had already found a new place to live and “when the marriage was already over,” Sinema attorney Steven Epstein wrote in asking the lawsuit be dismissed.
Sinema’s “conduct related to her romantic relationship with Mr. Ammel does not connect her to North Carolina in a meaningful way,” Epstein wrote Thursday, adding that no jury would believe that the one message “had any bearing on the destruction of marital love and affection.”
Sinema’s head of security hired Ammel after he retired from the Army in 2022, according to the lawsuit, and in early 2024, Heather Ammel discovered messages between Sinema and her husband on the Signal messaging app that were of “romantic and lascivious natures.” That summer, Matthew Ammel stopped wearing his wedding ring and Sinema gave him a job on her Senate staff while he continued to work as her bodyguard, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit was initially filed in September in North Carolina state court, but it was moved to federal court in January.
Sinema declined to seek Senate reelection in 2024 following a term in which she left the Democratic Party to become an independent. She now works for a Washington-based legal and lobbying firm.
Georgia
Prosecutor drops vehicular homicide charge against teen charged in death of teacher
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia prosecutor has decided to drop charges against a teenager who police say was driving the truck that struck and killed a beloved high school teacher when a prank turned deadly, the teen’s lawyer said. The victim’s family had urged authorities not to compound the tragedy by prosecuting the teen driver and his friends.
The 40-year-old teacher, Jason Hughes, died after slipping and falling into the street as the teens started to drive away after participating in a community tradition of pranking teachers by throwing toilet paper onto his front lawn.
The students had stopped and rendered aid to Hughes until emergency responders arrived. Hughes was brought to the hospital and died on March 6, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jayden Ryan Wallace — the 18-year-old The driver, whom his lawyer said adored Hughes and considered him a mentor — was arrested on a felony charge of vehicular homicide, and four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
Graham McKinnon, a lawyer who represents Wallace, said Friday that the charges against his client had been dropped. McKinnon said that prosecutors also dropped misdemeanor charges against the four other teens who were there.
The students had gone to Hughes’ home around 11:40 p.m. on March 6 and began wrapping his trees with toilet paper, the sheriff’s office said. The teens started to leave when Hughes came outside — his family said he had heard in advance about the prank and hoped to surprise them.
McKinnon said Wallace and his friends were playing a “competitive game” that has long been a tradition at North Hall High School.
“In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident,” McKinnon said in a statement.
Vehicular homicide charges, he said, didn’t make sense because Jaden didn’t use his car unsafely or improperly.
“Jaden is still grieving deeply, but he’s determined eventually to carry on and live his life in a way that would make Coach Hughes proud.”
Hughes — who taught math and helped coach golf, football and baseball at North Hall High School in Gainesville — was a “mentor” to Wallace, McKinnon said.
“I pledge to live out the remainder of my life in a manner that honors the memory of Coach Hughes by exemplifying Christ. He will never be forgotten,” Wallace said in a statement released by his family on Wednesday.
Hughes’ family had issued a statement earlier this week saying he knew and loved the five students involved and urging authorities to drop all charges against them.
Utah
Judge in Charlie Kirk killing case denies some efforts to limit media access
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
The outcome sets the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.
Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the heightened media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow and attorneys for news organizations have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. They have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Attorneys on Friday debated whether the defense’s written request to exclude cameras, which was classified by the court as private, should be made public.
Graf said the defense failed to make its case to keep the motion private but that he will continue “balancing all the factors” when deciding which portions of the upcoming hearing may be closed.
Staci Visser, an attorney for Robinson, told the judge before the ruling that the defense is not arguing in the court of public opinion.
“There seems to be an idea that flooding the public sphere with information from this courtroom will somehow dispel conspiracy theories or shift public narratives. That, in and of itself, is concerning to the defense,” Visser said. “All we should be worried about is protecting what happens in this courtroom.”
Robinson’s defense team went on to say that the April 17 hearing will involve discussions about prejudicial pretrial publicity, such as evidence that has yet to be admitted, personal opinions about guilt or public statements that would otherwise be inadmissible in court. Revisiting that in open court could end up “reinflicting a wound” to Robinson’s rights, defense attorney Michael Burt said.
Christopher Ballard, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dismissed those arguments. He said careful questioning during jury selection and tools like expanding the jury pool can ensure a defendant gets a fair trial.
“So just saying that this is a content tornado or there’s been a barrage of media coverage doesn’t necessarily mean that there is going to be prejudice to the defendant,” Ballard said.
Ballard noted that most of the evidence that will be discussed in April is already public, so most of the hearing should be open.
Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, have been fighting to preserve media access in the case. Michael Judd, an attorney for the news media, urged the judge to keep the upcoming hearing entirely open.
Media access has been a focal point of several recent hearings, with the judge placing temporary restrictions on local TV stations for showing Robinson’s shackles in violation of a court order and filming close-up shots that might allow viewers to interpret what he was discussing with his attorneys.
The judge also has prevented full video recordings of Kirk’s shooting from being shown in court after defense attorneys argued the graphic footage would interfere with a fair trial. An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism.
