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Two soccer fans who purchased tickets to Sunday’s canceled exhibition match at Aloha Stadium have filed a class-action lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation and the Stadium Authority.
Lawyers for Roxayne Spruance and Leimomi Dierks filed the lawsuit in state court Tuesday on behalf of the nearly 16,000 people who purchased tickets for the U.S. women’s national soccer team match against Trinidad and Tobago.
The U.S. Soccer Federation canceled the match Saturday, less than 24 hours before it was to be played. It sent emails to ticket purchasers Sunday morning announcing the decision and promising full refunds.
Spruance said that as an avid soccer fan, she purchased tickets for herself and two friends from Ticketmaster online for Sunday’s match. She said one of the friends lives in San Diego and took time off from work to travel to Hawaii for the match.
In addition to travel expenses, the lawsuit claims that class members also incurred lodging, car rental and other expenses, including additional travel to get refunds for box office purchases for which many had stood in line.
The lawsuit accuses the U.S. Soccer Federation and Stadium Authority of unfair and deceptive business and trade practices, false advertising, deceptive marketing, negligence and unjust enrichment. It seeks the payment of triple the damages suffered by the class members.
“The matter is under investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office,” stadium manager Scott Chan said, and therefore he could not comment on the lawsuit.
The state attorney general is reviewing a letter from U.S. Soccer Federation lawyer Lisa Levine that claims that it was the stadium’s responsibility to provide a first-class field but that the Stadium Authority provided a field that was “unfit, unsafe and unplayable.” The letter says the field has seams, is uneven and contains pebbles.
No official from the U.S. Soccer Federation could be reached for comment.
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