Pop icon Madonna is embroiled in yet another legal battle, this time facing a lawsuit filed by concertgoer Justen Lipeles. The 65-year-old singer, along with Live Nation and four California concert venues, has been named as defendants in the case, which was filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by ET.
Lipeles alleges that Madonna subjected her audiences to “pornography without warning,” including “topless women on stage simulating sex acts” in an uncomfortably hot environment. He claims that the singer demanded the air conditioning be turned off, causing him to become physically ill due to the sweltering conditions.
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Furthermore, Lipeles accuses Madonna of lip-syncing her performance and starting the show more than an hour later than the advertised 8:30 p.m. start time. This lawsuit comes on the heels of a previous legal action against the singer over an alleged late start at her show in Brooklyn, New York, earlier this year.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false advertising, and breach of written contract in connection with Madonna’s March 7 performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. In addition to Madonna and Live Nation, the lawsuit names Forum Entertainment, Kia Forum, Acrisure Arena, the Golden 1 Center, and Chase Center as defendants, as Lipeles claims that all of the performer’s California concerts began later than advertised.
ET reached out to Madonna’s representatives for comment but did not receive a response. Acrisure Arena also declined to comment on the matter at this time. In a statement to ET, Lipeles’ attorneys at Lipeles Law Group revealed that the plaintiff had brought his 11-year-old sister to the concert, adding, “Imagine taking your 11-year-old daughter to a pop concert. 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.”
The statement 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.” Lipeles’ attorneys noted that they are in the process of amending the complaint slightly.
This is not the first time Madonna has faced accusations of late starts at her concerts. In response to a separate complaint filed in New York, her lawyers, Live Nation, and Barclays Center argued that it is not “reasonable” for concertgoers to predict anticipated show start and end times based on the information printed on event tickets. “Reasonable concert goers also know that concert lengths vary based on numerous factors,” they stated in a previously filed document.
Despite the legal troubles, Madonna recently concluded her Celebration Tour on a historic note. On May 4, she broke the record for the largest audience for a standalone concert by any artist at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The free show drew a staggering 1.6 million fans.
