Jeffrey Kessler on Leading the Case After DOJ Settlement

Jeffrey Kessler, the lead antitrust lawyer for a coalition of 35 states and the District of Columbia in the Live Nation case, described the whirlwind preparation and ultimate victory in securing a jury verdict that found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for operating as a monopoly.

Kessler took over the case just one week into the trial after the U.S. Department of Justice unexpectedly settled with Live Nation in early March 2026. While seven of the original co-plaintiff states accepted the DOJ’s proposed terms, 33 others, plus Washington D.C., chose to continue the litigation and retained Kessler as lead counsel.

Faced with an abbreviated timeline, Kessler and his team at Winston & Strawn had only eight days to prepare for the high-profile jury trial. “I hoped that we would get at least two weeks, if not longer,” Kessler told Rolling Stone. “A month would be ideal. We ended up with eight days! But we made it work.”