A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon as a result of the streaming issues with the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight on Saturday night.
The lawsuit seeks class action status with the lead plaintiff being Zack Bartel who paid $99 to watch the fight via the Showtime App. The Complaint includes multiple screenshots evidencing payment for the fight and the subsequent issues experienced by many due to what appears to be the high demand for the fight. The screenshots include “grainy video, error screens, buffer events, and stalls instead” of the advertised HD at 1080p resolution.
The Complaint cites a violation of Oregon law of Unlawful Trade Practices citing that they are entitled to equitable relief and are “entitled to recover actual damages or $200 in statutory damages, whichever is greater, interest and fees and costs…” They also cite Showtime for Unjust Enrichment in that Bartel and others paid $99 for live HD streaming services “that were never provided or received.”
The Hollywood Reporter has a copy of the Complaint.
Payout Perspective:
This is likely the first of many lawsuits to come due to the issues with the streaming services from Saturday night. There has yet to be an organized resolution to the matter (i.e., will people be refunded for not being able to see the fight or seeing portions of it). The lawsuit was filed due to the fact that there is the potential for attorney fees and costs as a prevailing party. Showtime will need to figure out a legal strategy here as a lot of people will want to partake in this lawsuit.
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