Madonna is facing legal trouble yet again after a class-action lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 29, alleging that audience members were subjected to “pornography without warning” during her recent Celebration Tour.
The latest complaint, obtained by In Touch, comes after the “Vogue” singer was sued twice before due to the supposed late start times on the tour.
In Touch breaks down the latest legal filing.
What Is Madonna Being Accused Of?
Concertgoer Justen Lipeles is suing the singer as well as Live Nation and four California concert venues, alleging that Madonna subjected audiences to “pornography without warning,” such as “topless women on stage simulating sex acts,” which he claims demonstrates “Madonna’s flippant disrespect for her fans.”
According to the legal documents, “Madonna and her promoter Live Nation, purposely and deceptively withheld informing ticket purchasers in the marketing of the concerts that: (1) Madonna would not appear at 8:30 as promised, but would instead make fans wait until after 10:00 p.m. or later to start her show; (2) Madonna would maintain a hot and uncomfortable temperature in each of the venues during her performances; (3) Madonna would lip synch much of her performance; and (4) topless women would perform on stage simulating sexual acts. Defendants should have disclosed this information to consumers before they purchased their tickets.”
The plaintiff is claiming negligent misrepresentation, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, false advertising, unfair competition, and breach of written contract.
The Plaintiff’s Statement
Justen Lipeles’ attorneys at Lipeles Law Group told Entertainment Tonight in a statement that he brought his 11-year-old sister with him to the event.
“Imagine taking your 11-year-old daughter to a pop concert,” the statement read. “When in the middle of the concert, the women on stage remove their tops and are completely topless. They then begin to act out sexual situations including cunnilingus, and digital penetration amongst other pornographic type situations. This is with absolutely no warning to anyone who is offended by this type of content, and especially those who bring children to the concert.”
It continued, “Justen brought his 11-year-old sister, who was shocked. Additionally, for many hours everyone was forced to sit in what felt like a sauna. This was no accident, Madonna insisted that the AC stay off and when people in the crowd complained, she said she is not turning the AC on and if they didn’t like it, they should take their clothes off. People were physically in discomfort and sweating like crazy. In other words, people paid thousands of dollars to sit and suffer while watching live porn, including kids, with no warning.”
The attorneys also noted that they are “in the process of slightly amending the complaint.”
What Other Lawsuits Were Filed Regarding Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ Tour?
Madonna previously faced two similar lawsuits claiming she started her concerts excessively late. In January, concertgoers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden sued the singer for allegedly taking the stage at her Brooklyn show in December over two hours after the 8:30 p.m. scheduled start time, according to Forbes. Madonna and Live Nation reportedly said that show was impacted by a technical difficulty.
And in April, Rolling Stone reported that fans Elizabeth Halper-Asefi, Mary Conoboy and Nestor Monte, Jr., sued Madonna and Live Nation for a late start in Washington, D.C., in December. They also made similar claims of lip syncing and an uncomfortable, hot temperature during the show. According to the documents, Madonna allegedly told the audience, “I am sorry I am late… no, I am not sorry, it’s who I am… I’m always late.”
Madonna’s team responded, according to the Los Angeles Times, in a motion stating, “no reasonable concertgoer — and certainly no Madonna fan — would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time.”
When Did Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ Tour Run?
Madonna kicked off her Celebration Tour at the O2 Arena in London in October 2023 after recovering from a serious viral infection. She concluded the run May 4 with a free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.
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