It appears that at least one class action lawsuit will be filed against “Electric Zoo, its promoters and related entities,” after the festival canceled its first day without adequate warning, and on the third day oversold tickets and turned away paying customers, resulting in a dangerous gate-crashing incident.
Almost two weeks have passed since the event and organizers still have not issued refunds, or provided any information when ticket purchasers can expect refunds.
Today, a Reddit user with the screen name “u/mr_numba1” posted an email sent by New York City law firm Trief & Olk, explaining that the firm plans on “moving forward with filing a class action” and is “in the process of reaching out to attendees to discuss the selection of class action representative plaintiffs.”
The same Reddit user has been adamant about the need for a class action suit against Electric Zoo, posting a statement on the site’s r/electriczoo page last week that, in part, reads:
“None of us deserve what we experienced at Ezoo 2023, we were sold lies with ‘sh*t’ just slapped together, no organization, major safety concerns and so much more! BILLY NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE!!!!”
The user is referring to Juergen “Billy” Bildstein, who owns and operates Brooklyn venue Avant Gardner. Last year, Avant Gardner purchased Electric Zoo from previous operator Made Event for a reported $15 million, according to Billboard. This year was the first edition of Electric Zoo which Avant Gardner operated autonomously.
Avant Gardner, which also houses the popular Brooklyn Mirage, has come under criticism for its history of overselling shows by as much as 33 percent, according to Gothamist.
The same Reddit user also created a page entirely dedicated to the pursuit of an EZoo lawsuit, collecting statements and evidence of wrongdoing from attendees. They also claim to have met with lawyers from the aforementioned firm via Zoom.
In the same thread, a different user who identified himself as attorney Jonathan Corbett said his law firm, Corbett Rights, also plans to prepare a class-action suit against Electric Zoo. Corbett said his firm previously sued Electric Zoo in 2019.
For now, no lawsuits have been officially filed. Read the email from Trief & Olk regarding their potential class action below:
Class action suit UPDATE! MAKE A STATEMENT!!
byu/mr_numba1 inelectriczoo
Featured image from Electric Zoo.
