WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secondhand ticket platforms went to federal court Wednesday to keep Washington from enforcing the District’s new cap on resale prices, a law set to begin Jan. 1, 2027.
Ticket Policy Forum, a trade group whose members include SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and TickPick, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington and asked for a preliminary injunction. The D.C. Council approved the RESALE Amendment Act without a dissenting vote in July. It limits resold tickets to 10% above face value and outlaws speculative listings, in which a seller offers seats it does not yet own.
The suit raises several constitutional claims. It argues that forcing sites to post the original ticket price violates the First Amendment, and that the cap runs afoul of the Commerce Clause, the Home Rule Act and due process. According to the filing, roughly 85% to 90% of last year’s resale deals for non-sports events in the city involved a buyer and seller who both lived elsewhere. The group warned that platforms would have to sell at a loss or stop listing D.C. events, and that sales could drift to street sellers and social media.
Charles Allen, the Ward 6 councilmember, sponsored the bill in April 2025 and has defended it as relief for fans. I.M.P., owner of the 9:30 Club and The Anthem, backs the law and says it counted $13.9 million in resale listings for its venues last month, covering more than 111,000 tickets, 92% of them priced above face value.
