Portland Woman Sues StubHub Over Fake Wicked Tickets, Alleges Broken Guarantee

PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland woman has filed a class action lawsuit against StubHub, alleging the ticket resale marketplace failed to honor its FanProtection Guarantee after she purchased counterfeit tickets to the Broadway musical Wicked at Keller Auditorium last October.

Amy Hoffman spent $446.79 on two tickets through StubHub for the Oct. 30, 2024, performance. Upon arriving at the venue, she was informed her tickets had already been scanned by other guests. Hoffman joined a line of at least 20 other patrons reporting similar issues. “This poor little girl in a pink dress was just bawling her eyes out,” Hoffman recalled, describing a young theatergoer in the fraud line. “It broke my heart that this was her eyes to the world and how horrible it can be sometimes.”

Hoffman purchased new tickets from the Keller Auditorium box office but missed part of the first act. She alleges StubHub failed to provide valid tickets or a refund, despite its guarantee of “valid tickets or your money back.” After months of back-and-forth with StubHub and her credit card company, Hoffman filed a consumer complaint with the Oregon Department of Justice and later enlisted Portland attorney Michael Fuller.

Fuller noted similar complaints against StubHub in other states, including a 2020 California investigation that resulted in a $20 million settlement. “We see from every angle companies less and less willing to work with the customer,” Fuller said. “Assuming one of the other companies will take care of it.”

StubHub has not responded to requests for comment. The lawsuit hinges on whether Hoffman waived her right to collective action when purchasing the tickets, a common clause in tech companies’ terms of service. Hoffman maintains she did not waive this right.

Hoffman, who had never used StubHub before, now advises others to purchase tickets directly from venues. She also warned her cousin to verify tickets bought through StubHub for an upcoming Book of Mormon performance. “It’s been a bit of a—I don’t want to say ‘shit show,’ but that’s my lack of a better word,” Hoffman said.