Live Nation has reached a settlement in a United States lawsuit brought by a concertgoer who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a Luke Bryan concert in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2022. The agreement ends a case that was moving toward trial after a judge ruled a jury could find the live entertainment company liable for failing to stop the attack.
Incident and lawsuit#
Gary Stanhope filed the suit in 2024, alleging he was “violently beaten into unconsciousness” at the Meadows Music Theatre in July 2022. He said he stepped into a fight between a man and a woman that security staff did not stop for several minutes.
Stanhope argued Live Nation was negligent because it knew fights regularly occurred at the venue but did not supply adequate security.
Live Nation’s response#
Live Nation said it had hired 116 security guards and more than a dozen off-duty police officers for the event, exceeding legal requirements. The company called the attack an unforeseeable crime and pointed out that Stanhope acknowledged he was intoxicated and could not recall the incident.
In a court filing, Live Nation’s lawyers stated:
“Despite having no memory of what occurred, or what level of security Live Nation employed at this venue, plaintiff brought suit against Live Nation, alleging that, while someone else caused his injury by criminally assaulting him, it was somehow Live Nation’s fault.”
Judge’s ruling#
In May, Judge Janet C. Hall rejected Live Nation’s motion to dismiss the case, allowing it to proceed to trial. She cited witness accounts that no security was present for several minutes during the altercation and a delayed response from emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
“Mr. Stanhope and various witnesses assert that there was a rowdy crowd, a lack of security enforcement, a prolonged fight, and a delayed response from the EMT once Mr. Stanhope was assaulted,” Judge Hall wrote. “A reasonable juror could find that it was foreseeable that Mr. Stanhope would be injured under these circumstances.”
Settlement terms#
Attorneys for both sides asked the court on Thursday, Aug. 13, to voluntarily dismiss the case, confirming a settlement was reached at a hearing last month. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Luke Bryan was not a party to the lawsuit, and the alleged assailant was not named as a defendant. Stanhope sought criminal charges in separate proceedings, though it remains unclear if prosecutors filed charges.
