Court Approves SXSW Refunds Settlement

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SXSW Refunds Settlement Overview:

• WHO: 2020 South by Southwest (SXSW) ticket holders.
• WHY: The event was canceled due to COVID-19, but the plaintiffs had been unable to secure refunds on their passes.
• WHERE: The event takes place in Austin, Texas, but the settlement will be open to anyone who purchased tickets to the canceled festival.

A federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a class action settlement resolving claims from consumers seeking SXSW refunds after the festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit argued they were owed refunds on their ticket purchases for SXSW because the event was canceled.

Plaintiffs Maria Bromley and Kleber Pauta claimed the defendants offered free tickets to one of the next three years’ festivals instead of offering a refund on the 2020 event’s tickets.

The passes cost the plaintiffs upward of $1,000.

The settlement will be open to a Class that includes anyone who purchased credentials for the 2020 South by Southwest Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, pursuant to the participation and Credentials Terms and conditions.

Two Subclasses also have been established.

The Deferral Class is made up of Class Members who accepted SXSW’s offer to defer their credential(s) purchased to attend the 2020 SXSW Conference and Festivals.

The Non-Deferral Class consists of those who did not accept the deferral offer.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Deferral Class Members will receive $30 per credential purchased, may defer their 2020 credentials to any SXSW through 2024, and may purchase at half off the walk-up rate an equal number of credentials to one alternate year (other than the year to which they deferred their original credential) between 2022 and 2024.

Non-Deferral Class Members have the option to choose the same relief as the Deferral Class or to choose a refund of 40 percent of their purchase price of their credentials. 

A final fairness hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 18, 2022.

Did you have tickets to SXSW in 2020? What do you think of the settlement? Let us know in the comments below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Randy Howry, Sean Breen, and James Hatchitt of Howry Breen & Herman LLP; Joseph G. Sauder, Lori G. Kier, and Joseph B. Kenney of Sauder Schelkopf LLC; and Daniel O. Herrera, Kaitlin Naughton, and Bryan L. Clobes of Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP.

The SXSW Refunds Class Action Lawsuit is Maria Bromley, et al. v. SXSW LLC, et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-00439, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

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