Concertgoers in Ukraine Take Legal Action to Recover Funds for Shows Canceled Due to War

Court Orders Refunds for Tickets to Canceled Events

According to Главком: Ukrainian courts are compelling event organizers to refund ticket prices for concerts that were scrapped because of the ongoing war. In two separate rulings, the company Atom Entertainment UA lost cases tied to refunds for performances by the bands Kino and Kaleo.

In mid-2023, a citizen named Mykola Z. won a lawsuit against Atom Entertainment UA, the organizer of a concert by the Russian band Kino. The show was originally scheduled for September 2021 at Kyiv’s Palace of Sports but was postponed three times-to February 18, 2022; February 25, 2022; and July 16, 2022. In late June 2022, the ticketing platform Concert.ua sent Mykola Z. a text message stating that 'martial law in the country constitutes a force majeure event, allowing the organizer to refund money only after the state of war ends.' The court ruled that Atom Entertainment UA failed to meet its obligations under Ukraine’s Ticket Management Instructions and the Law on Consumer Rights Protection. As a result, the defendant must repay Mykola Z. 12,000 UAH (the cost of three tickets for Kino) plus 1,000 UAH in moral damages.

Second Refund Case

Atom Entertainment UA also lost another case brought by a plaintiff named Nataliia Ch. She had purchased two tickets for a concert by the Icelandic band Kaleo, worth nearly 6,000 UAH, which was slated to take place in Kyiv in October 2022. The court ordered the organizer to refund Nataliia Ch. the ticket price and pay an additional 2,000 UAH for emotional distress.

These rulings show that audience members can successfully reclaim lost funds for concerts that never happened due to the war through legal channels. The situation surrounding refunds for canceled events highlights the importance of upholding consumer rights under Ukraine’s martial law. These decisions could set a precedent for similar cases, enabling other consumers to defend their rights in court when event organizers fail to meet their obligations.

As the legal landscape for concert refunds evolves in Ukraine, another recent ruling has underscored the courts' commitment to consumer rights. In a similar case, the court mandated a concert organizer to reimburse ticket buyers for a canceled performance by Olya Polyakova. This precedent reinforces the notion that attendees have the right to seek compensation for shows that could not take place due to the ongoing conflict. For more details on this ruling, see the court's decision regarding Olya Polyakova's concert.