Why Dahlquist thinks the feds walked away from a win
David Dahlquist, who delivered the federal government's opening statement to a New York jury in March, says the Justice Department was on solid footing. "I was saddened by that ultimate decision to not let us go through trial," he said, adding, "I was confident in our ability to win. I can be pro-settlement in the right situation, but settlements have to be effective." The Trump administration struck a deal with Live Nation one week into the proceedings. At the time, a DOJ official said the department felt good about its chances but chose a settlement over a lengthy process that might not end favorably.
The lawsuit, brought in 2024 by DOJ and dozens of states, claimed Live Nation Entertainment Inc. had unlawfully dominated the live events business. After DOJ settled, most states kept litigating and later prevailed across the board when the jury concluded Live Nation had illegally monopolized several corners of the live-music market.
What's in the federal deal
The federal settlement required Live Nation to stop insisting that venues rely only on Ticketmaster. In March, DOJ said the company, without admitting wrongdoing, would no longer make large amphitheaters and arenas use Ticketmaster as their exclusive ticketing provider. Live Nation also said it would build tools so venues can more easily let competing systems sell up to half of concert tickets alongside Ticketmaster, and it agreed to open every amphitheater it owns or runs to rival promoters under new non-exclusive agreements.
Dahlquist wasn't part of the settlement talks, which he noted was unusual given his role as one of DOJ's leading antitrust trial lawyers for the last four years. He declined to weigh in on the specifics, beyond saying that "had there been a settlement reached at the end of a jury win for the DOJ, it would have been more effective."
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What the judge still has to decide
US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, must determine whether DOJ's settlement serves the public's best interests and decide on the remedies the states are seeking. The states have said their ask includes requiring Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster.
On Monday, Dahlquist will return to Winston Taylor LLP - the firm that took on the states' trial work after DOJ stepped back - where he will serve as co-leader of the antitrust practice. He says he won't reenter the Live Nation fight but will follow along: "I'm gonna be in court sitting in the back of the room watching it," he said. "I'm still very interested and excited about it."
Dahlquist's broader antitrust track and why this matters for your money
Beyond Live Nation, Dahlquist led two cases aimed at breaking up Alphabet Inc.'s Google. In both, judges rejected DOJ's proposals that would have forced pieces of Google to be spun off. And just last week, a federal judge ruled Google doesn't have to sell its ad exchange and instead must ensure its ad tech works with competing tools. The full opinion isn't yet public. Dahlquist called the ad tech matter "a prime case to actually win a divestiture," said DOJ should consider appealing, and added, "We satisfied the requirements, and I believe it was called for here."
For your wallet, the takeaway is simple: rules around ticketing and promotion are in flux, and a judge will soon weigh tougher remedies that could reshape how venues, promoters and tech interact. Shifts like these can change how companies earn and compete, which affects pricing and growth. Watching the outcome here isn't about trading the headline - it is about understanding how market power gets checked and what that could mean for the businesses you use and invest in.
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