Madison Square Garden has filed a lawsuit against WIRED, alleging that the publication lied in an article to make readers believe the arena was tracking gay celebrities to exclude them from events. The arena claims that this is the opposite of the truth and that the article was defamatory and interfered with contracts and obligations. The lawsuit was filed in a New York trial court against WIRED, its ownership, and journalists Noah Shachtman, Maddy Varner, and WIRED editor Katie Drummond.
The lawsuit accuses WIRED of publishing the article with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth. Madison Square Garden said in a complaint that WIRED has a history of rushing to publish clickbait in place of facts, but this should be their last. The complaint also states that WIRED cherry-picked information from hacked data to create a false implication that Madison Square Garden tracks LGBTQIA celebrities for exclusionary purposes.
Background on the Lawsuit
Madison Square Garden acknowledged keeping information on celebrities’ sexual orientations, but said the purpose of this information was to further inclusion by inviting LGBTQIA celebrities to supportive events, identifying sales and sponsorship opportunities, and facilitating donations and community outreach. The information was kept in mundane customer service and relations software alongside other information like birthdays, favorite sports teams, and other ordinary fields for routine business purposes.
The arena told the court that WIRED manipulated this ordinary business information and reported false and purposely misleading ‘facts’ to generate a story with complete disregard for the truth and their ethical obligations as journalists. The complaint describes this as shockingly unethical conduct. Madison Square Garden said that the article’s implication that the arena maintains a database with a sexual orientation field for exclusionary, discriminatory, security, or risk-based purposes is a lie.
Support for LGBTQIA Causes
In the legal filing, Madison Square Garden said it has a history of supporting LGBTQIA causes and organizations. On July 9th, WIRED ran an article headlined “Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities” that reported the arena designated some actors, musicians, including rappers, and other celebrities with risk levels and kept track of the sexual orientation of some.
Madison Square Garden quickly denounced the piece as inaccurate and false and said it was taking legal action. The arena has asked for a jury trial and to be awarded money for compensation as well as punitive financial costs for WIRED and its affiliates to be determined later. Madison Square Garden also asked that WIRED and affiliates pay for legal costs and attorney fees.
In conclusion, the lawsuit filed by Madison Square Garden against WIRED is a significant development in the entertainment industry, highlighting the importance of accurate reporting and the potential consequences of publishing false information. As the case unfolds, it will be interesting to see how the court rules on the matter and what implications this may have for the future of entertainment journalism.
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