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The proposed class action settlement will not provide compensation for the thousands of ticket buyers who, despite marketing promises, never got to see soccer stars Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez play Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place in May 2024.
Instead, the settlement proposes paying the Whitecaps $475,000 (minus one-third of what the law firm representing the plaintiffs paid), to be divided among the three charities.
Details of the proposal were released Monday by a law firm representing the Burnaby, British Columbia, man who filed the lawsuit.
In his lawsuit, Ho Chun claims he paid $404 for a pair of tickets to see Inter Miami FC play the Whitecaps in a game in which three prominent Miami players were announced as participants.
None of them did, but their absence was announced only a couple of days before the game. Hohn's lawsuit calls it a “classic case of bait and switch,” citing print, online, social media and billboard advertisements promising the trio.
In a statement emailed to CBC News, the Vancouver Whitecaps said: “A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit relating to the Whitecaps' game against Inter Miami on May 25, 2024.” The settlement agreement is subject to confirmation by the Supreme Court of British Columbia.”
Evolink, the law firm representing plaintiffs in the class action, declined to comment.
Under the proposed agreement, the Whitecaps would review their ticket sales terms and state that player rosters are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed.
Additionally, the team will add similar information to pop-up notifications on the Ticketmaster website and display updated terms and conditions more prominently on its own website.
Chun's lawsuit originally sought a full refund for unused tickets and a partial refund for used tickets, which was the difference between the price charged for the Miami game and the average price for all other Whitecaps games.
It claimed that the Whitecaps and MLS were “reckless by not confirming that Messi, Suarez and/or Busquets would play in the Vancouver-Miami match.”
The proposed settlement will be the subject of a hearing in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, scheduled for February 27, 2026.
