A Seattle-based ticket company must pay $9 million in refunds to thousand of customers for canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as organizers of past events who were never paid, according to KOMO.
The lawsuit was filed against Brown Paper Tickets in King County Superior Court by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Reporters said Ferguson's office received 1,200 complaints from organizers and attendees about the company between March 2020 and February 2021. The lawsuit also claims 45,000 people were affected nationwide.
Affected consumers does not have to file a claim to get their restitution. The company will reach out directly to ticket holders and event organizers for a refund. Washington residents will also get a letter or email from the Attorney General's Office about refunds.
Brown Paper Tickets has seven months to return all the money it owes, KOMO wrote. An estimated 90 percent of consumers who were entitled to refunds were ticket buyers. Purchasers also have the option of donating their refund to organizers.
The company also failed to pay organizers for events that occurred before the pandemic, according to the lawsuit.
"Brown Paper Tickets owes an average of less than $50 to individual ticket buyers, and substantially larger amounts to event organizers — as much as $1,000 to $10,000 or more per event. Ultimately, much of the restitution going to event organizers will be used to recoup losses for completed events for which they were not paid," KOMO said.
Here's what Attorney General Ferguson had to saw about the affair:
"For most of the year, we’ve had to sacrifice in-person events. Small theaters and arts organizations - like your local children’s theater, community center, church or music school - have been hit hard by COVID. Today’s resolution ensures Brown Paper Tickets will uphold its promises to these essential community spaces by returning the millions of dollars it owes them, and puts money back into the pockets of thousands of individuals across the country.”
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