Davis calls MSG's lawyer exclusions collective punishment
Samuel L. DavisPartner at the firm employing excluded attorney Kelly Conlon
Davis calls excluding lawyers because of their employer's litigation collective punishment.
“This whole scheme is a pretext for doing collective punishment on adversaries who would dare sue MSG in their multi-billion dollar network”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
James Dolan defends MSG's facial-recognition lawyer exclusions; New York officials object
In January 2023, James Dolan defended MSG Entertainment's use of facial recognition to bar lawyers at firms suing the company, saying a property owner may choose whom it serves. Letitia James and Brad Hoylman-Sigal objected that the policy punished people for pursuing legal claims. A New York appeals court later held that state law requires MSG to admit ticket holders to concerts and theatrical shows but not sporting events, with damages as the only remedy. MSG described the exclusions as a safety measure in 2025, and WIRED reported in May 2026 that MSG had revoked the tickets of a lawyer suing it.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
NBC New York interviews Kelly Conlon and Sam Davis after Conlon was barred from a Rockettes show. MSG defends its litigation policy and says other members of the group could attend.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
MSG used facial recognition to enforce a policy excluding attorneys at firms in litigation with the company, including attorneys not personally handling the litigation.
After the quotation
MSG says litigation creates an adverse environment and that only Conlon was excluded, not the rest of the Girl Scout group.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reference point: MSG's policy of excluding lawyers at firms suing it. Davis, a partner at the firm where Kelly Conlon worked, calls the policy a pretext for collective punishment of people who sue MSG. Challenged the characterization loses because Davis rejects the policy itself rather than MSG's description of it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseEFF criticizes MSG's exclusions and warns they could spread to protesters
Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Madison Square Gardens was recently caught using this technology to exclude employees of a law firm that sued the venue’s parent company. ... A business could easily extend this kind of “enemies list” to people who, online or on the sidewalk outside, protest a venue’s discriminatory policies.”Read statement
Williams rejects employer-based venue exclusions
“Individuals should not be removed from a place of business, because their employer is involved in legal action against said business.”Read statement
NYCLU calls MSG's ticket-holder exclusions an example of surveillance dangers
New York Civil Liberties Union
“The widely reported deployment of facial recognition at Madison Square Garden to ban people from the stadium that had already purchased tickets ... illustrates the dangers from the growing surveillance industry and the urgent need for comprehensive privacy protections.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Davis calls MSG's lawyer exclusions collective punishment". First published: 2026-10-18. Last updated: 2026-10-18. https://disputeindex.com/events/5949-davis-calls-excluding-lawyers-because-of-their-employer