Madonna slapped with lawsuit for exposing audience to ‘live pornography’ during her Celebration concert

Madonna, the Queen of Pop, is facing a class action lawsuit from a disgruntled fan who has alleged that she subjected him, and several others, to explicit content during her concert without prior warning.

Justen Lipeles, who filed the suit in California on May 30, claims that he and other concertgoers were lured by Madonna and her promoter, Live Nation, into purchasing costly tickets for her Celebration World Tour concert under false pretences.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the lawsuit entails several accusations, including the claim that attendees were subjected to “pornography without warning.”

Lipeles alleges that during the shows held in February and March at various California venues, attendees had to watch topless women simulate sexual acts on stage. He described these acts as “live pornography”. This unexpected explicit content, he claims, led audience members to feel uncomfortable.

According to the lawsuit, what made things worse was how the concert environment was compromised to add to that experience — apparently, Madonna requested the air conditioning be switched off and told people to strip down to beat the heat. This resulted in a “hot and uncomfortable” atmosphere that made some attendees physically ill.

Lipeles has also accused Madonna of lip-syncing much of her performance, disappointing fans who had paid for live entertainment. Lipeles contends that the marketing for the shows “purposely and deceptively” withheld information, leading him and other fans to believe the concerts would start at a certain time. Instead, performances reportedly began after 10 pm, leaving many waiting over an hour and a half.

“Forcing consumers to wait hours in hot, uncomfortable arenas and subjecting them to pornography without warning is demonstrative of Madonna’s flippant disrespect for her fans,” the suit stated, according to The Blast.

The class action suit, which names Madonna, Live Nation, and several venues, seeks unspecified damages for breach of written contract, negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false advertising, negligence, and unfair competition.

Madonna’s representatives haven’t commented on the lawsuit yet but the pop star and Live Nation have pledged to “vigorously” defend themselves against the allegations, per PEOPLE.

This is not the first time Madonna has faced legal action over her concert practices. Earlier this year, two fans sued her for starting a concert two hours late at Brooklyn’s Barclays Centre, claiming false advertising.

Madonna’s legal team responded by filing a motion to dismiss, arguing that no reasonable concertgoer would expect the headline act to start at the ticketed time.

As far as explicit acts during a live concert go, Madonna has a history of provocative performances that have been touted as “bold”. Her shows have frequently included erotic dancing and NSFW content, with performances featuring lap dances with celebrities like Maluma and Ricky Martin.

Her history of sex-positive or “provocative” performances might lead fans to expect explicit content but the lawsuit claims that fans were not adequately warned this time.