A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix in relation to fans being forced to leave Thursday’s practice session after an hourslong delay.
Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting filed the suit Friday in Nevada District Court on behalf of 35,000 fans who purchased tickets to Thursday’s practice run, the legal firms announced Saturday.
Just nine minutes after Thursday’s’s practice session began, a water valve cover came loose and damaged multiple F1 drivers’ vehicles. That led to a 2 ½ hour delay, with a 90-minute second practice session beginning at 2:30 a.m. Friday.
Fans were forced by police and security officers to leave at 1:30 a.m. Friday and weren’t able to watch the session.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Liberty Media Corporation, doing business as Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix and TAB Contractors, Inc. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, negligence and deceptive trade practices against the defendants.
“We will vindicate the rights of the fans that traveled great distances and paid small fortunes to attend, but were deprived of the experience,” Dimopoulos Law Firm owner and lead attorney Steve Dimopoulos said in a statement.
In a class action lawsuit, identifying everyone who bought tickets is part of discovery. F1 will have to provide a list and it is up to the plaintiff to reach out to those people and get them to sign on. Even if someone doesn’t participate, they’re still entitled to any damages. It’s pretty common to get a $20 check for a service you may have used a decade ago that settled a class action lawsuit, even if you never heard of it before. I just got one from Zoom for anti-competitive practices during COVID.