Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against 2024 Capulet Fest Promoter

A class action lawsuit has been filed by ticket holders of the 2024 Capulet Festival against Capulet Entertainment promoter Estevan Vega after the disastrous events that took place with this year's expected music weekend.

The proposed festival was initially advertised with over 50 bands set to perform at the Thompson Speedway in Thompson, CT., but a day before the music weekend was set to start a venue change was announced with the festival shifted to Webster Theater in Hartford, CT., downsizing the potential audience capacity from 13,000 to 1,200.

Many of the bands dropped off the bill, including such acts as Nothing More, Senses Fail, Cold, 10 Years, Sleep Theory and Saint Asonia. Nothing More had stated in a post announcing their exit, "Earlier today we were sent a proposed statement from the festival that was a blatant attempt to minimize their responsibility for the situation and even more egregious than that, it offered no solutions for refunds for people who bought single day tickets for Sunday."

Fans were left scrambling for lodging and the event ended up shutting down after one and a half days when Webster Theater officials announced they had not been paid by the promoter. As expected, there were plenty of upset fans who either missed out on the festival altogether or caught a greatly reduced festival experience as a result of the last minute changes.

READ MORE: Capulet Fest Implodes With Third Day Cancellation + Statements Released

Soon after, the "Victims of Capulet Fest 2024" Facebook page was started to collect stories and experiences as ticket buyers and festival goers sought to seek what the next steps were in collecting refunds.

Now comes word that a class action suit has been filed against Vega and Capulet Entertainment.

What's in the Lawsuit?

The lawsuit names four of the Capulet Festival goers, but was also filed "on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, based on personal knowledge with respect to their own circumstances and based upon information and belief pursuant to the
investigation of counsel as to all other allegations,"

They accuse Vega and his company of failing to deliver on contractual obligation, participating in deceptive and unlawful practices and negligence that resulted in increased expenses and widespread disappointment for ticket holders.

They've asked the court for restitution for financial losses incurred, damages for emotional distress and injunctive relief to prevent further harm to consumers.

A posting of the full lawsuit was shared on the "Victims of Capulet Fest 2024" Facebook page and can be read at this location.

In early July, it was revealed that the festival was also under an investigation by Connecticut's Attorney General.

What They're Saying

Ashley Lessard, one of the four plaintiffs named that brought the suit, told local Hartford and New Haven news station WFSB-TV, "I had tickets for the whole weekend. I had the VIP ticket. I had the $693.34 tickets." That package had included meet and greets with several of the bands on the bill, but they never happened. "You expect an outdoor festival. You’ve had people purchase hotel tickets, you’ve had people purchase camping experiences," Lessard added.

In a statement, attorney Oren Faircloth who is representing the ticket holders, said, “We believe Capulet Entertainment should be held accountable for its alleged misrepresentations and mishandling of Capulet fest 2024. In our complaint, we are seeking not only financial restitution for the affected attendees but also injunctive relief and punitive damages to enforce transparency and fairness in future event promotions and to ensure that this type of occurrence is not repeated.”