Madonna’s legal team has hit back over a class-action lawsuit against the singer.
The pop diva’s lawyers slammed the claim, which centres around Madonna’s late arrival to the stage at her concerts, as a “harassment campaign” and reportedly want it made clear they have not agreed to any settlement with claimants.
Last week, legal representatives from Madonna’s camp responded to the class action lawsuit, leading the plaintiffs, Michael Fellows and Jason Alvarez, to claim they’d reached a settlement agreement with the Material Girl singer.
Now, 65-year-old Madonna’s legal representation has asked a judge to strike out a settlement notice filed by the plaintiff’s lawyer. While they did acknowledge they had been in talks with the plaintiffs’ legal reps, they argued the notice of settlement was false, characterising it as a “harassment campaign” and a bid to achieve a payday.
The judge agreed to Madonna’s lawyer’s request, making it clear no settlement had been achieved – meaning the case will proceed.
Madonna’s chief argument against the lawsuit is that genuine fans would know she is frequently late to appear on stage.
“If a fan is familiar enough with Madonna’s concert history to know her performances run for two hours and fifteen minutes, that fan would surely know that Madonna typically takes the stage well after the ticketed event time (after an opening act, set transition, and so on) and plays late into the night,” they wrote in response to the original claim.
