N.Y. bill would stop Madison Square Garden from kicking out enemy lawyers
CTV
New York City's Madison Square Garden and other sports venues would be barred from refusing entry to perceived enemies of their owners under a bill introduced to the state Legislature Monday. The proposed legislation comes after the company instituted a policy of preventing ticket holders from entering if they work for any law firm involved in litigation against the company.
New York City's Madison Square Garden and other sports venues would be barred from refusing entry to perceived enemies of their owners under a bill introduced to the state Legislature Monday.
The proposed legislation comes after the company that owns the famed Garden and other notable venues, including Radio City Music Hall, instituted a policy of preventing ticket holders from entering if they work for any law firm involved in litigation against the company.
It has enforced the rule by revoking tickets and using facial-recognition technology to identify, and then bounce, people who try to attend events.
In November, the company used the technology to stop a New Jersey mom from accompanying her daughter on a Girl Scouts field trip to see a Rockettes holiday show at Radio City Music Hall.
An attorney who has owned New York Knicks season tickets for nearly 50 years sued MSG Entertainment in October, saying he and nearly 60 lawyers from his firm were barred from the company's properties.
The bill would amend a long-standing state law by adding "sporting events" to the list of public places of entertainment that cannot refuse entry to people that arrive with a valid ticket. The law was originally intended to stop Broadway venues from barring theatre critics they didn't like.
The proposal does not directly address the issue of using facial-recognition technology to screen patrons, but bill sponsors said the practice was out of bounds.
