Michigan Football Lawsuit Alleges Misleading Ticketing Policy Changes

ANN ARBOR, MI – A Michigan football season ticket holder is suing the University of Michigan, claiming changes to the program’s ticket resale policy could cost him at least $2.5 million in lost revenue. Kevin Brick, along with his North Carolina-based company, Maxim Tickets, Inc., refiled the lawsuit in state court after a previous case was dismissed in December.

The complaint, filed on Feb. 28 in the Michigan Court of Claims, alleges that the university misled Brick into donating millions to its athletic department while implementing a new ticket policy without notice. Brick argues that the changes violate Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act and common law.

In early 2024, Brick asserts, the athletic department prohibited ticket purchases solely for resale and banned him from accessing his tickets. He claims the policy shift misled him into investing millions without the option to recoup his expenses.

“Despite UM’s longstanding policy of allowing resale and transfer of football season’s tickets, it unilaterally changed its terms and conditions without our consent or knowledge in late 2023,” the lawsuit states.

The new policy took effect in April 2023, prior to the football season, according to athletics department spokesperson David Ablauf, who noted that the department does not comment on ongoing litigation. The policy prohibits the purchase of tickets primarily for resale, which is a shift from a 2022 communication that permitted reselling on platforms like StubHub.

The current rules limit season ticket holders to eight total tickets across both regular season and postseason play. Violators may have their tickets canceled at Michigan Athletics’ discretion.

Brick, who has purchased over 1,000 tickets during his 21 years as a season ticket holder, claims he was not warned about the policy change until January 2024, when an athletic department email informed him that his accounts were tied to ticket brokering, resulting in a lockout of his ticketing privileges.

The lawsuit also accuses the university of violating the state’s Freedom of Information Act by withholding documents related to the ticket policy and communications with ticket holders. Brick seeks $2 million in damages.

The athletic department has yet to respond to the lawsuit.