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Madonna sued over cancelled Madame X show
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 26 May 2020
Madonna has been sued over a cancelled show in Miami last December. Two fans claim that – although they got a ticket refund after the Miami date on the star’s ‘Madame X Tour’ was pulled at the last minute – that didn’t compensate them for other damages caused by the late-in-the-day cancellation such as travel costs.
The lawsuit filed by Michelle Holland and Thomas Wilhelm also disputes the official reason given for the cancellation. Promoters said that the show was pulled over health concerns – and other dates on the same tour were cancelled because the musician was finding performing painful due to a torn ligament and bad knee.
However, the lawsuit quotes a Daily Mail report that claimed the Miami show was actually called off after a “furious” Madonna had a “temper tantrum” during a rehearsal, firing two employees as well as pulling out of the show. They also quote a Facebook post that alleged “she threw a fit at rehearsals and was upset for low ticket sales and the venue’s unprofessionalism”.
Later in their legal filing, Holland and Wilhelm also state that they believe the star had been served with legal papers by ex-husband Guy Ritchie on the same day as the Miami show, which meant she was “upset” and “furious” before rehearsals even began.
With all that in mind, Holland and Wilhelm want “actual and consequential” damages from the star and her promoter Live Nation to compensate them for the losses they incurred travelling to the cancelled show. They also want class action status for the lawsuit, which would allow other ticketholders to likewise demand compensation.
It’s not the first round of litigation relating to the ‘Madame X Tour’. Two previous lawsuits have been filed over Madonna’s late start times at her shows.
One of those lawsuits was filed by ticketholders who left a New York date on the tour before Madonna even got on stage as a result of a two hour delay to start time. Another complained that – after those initial late starts – Live Nation pushed back the official stage times of future ‘Madame X’ shows from 8.30pm to 10.30pm, but wouldn’t offer refunds to those fans who no longer wanted to attend as a result of the now late night timings.
