Live Nation is challenging the Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit by requesting a venue change to Washington DC and seeking dismissal of several case portions. The entertainment giant claims the case belongs in DC federal court, where the original 2010 consent decree permitting the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger was approved.

The company argues that allegations of monopolistic practices are directly connected to the effectiveness of the original decree in protecting competition. Live Nation and Ticketmaster maintain that their merger hasn't harmed competition and describe the DOJ's lawsuit as baseless.

Key developments in the case:

• Judge Arun Subramanian has set a firm trial date for March 2, 2026
• The court established a two-tiered access system for case documents
• Live Nation's legal team, including antitrust expert Dan Wall and SVP Kimberly Tobias, will maintain partial access to case materials
• The DOJ expressed concerns about Live Nation executives accessing confidential competitor information

The case continues to evolve as both parties work to establish document access protocols and venue determination. Judge Subramanian emphasizes the importance of moving forward with discovery despite ongoing procedural debates.

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