Getty Images | Alexi Rosenfeld
The operators of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall are being investigated by the New York State Attorney General for allegedly using facial recognition technology to identify lawyers and exclude them from events. The AG Letitia James office said the policy could violate civil rights law.
Because of this policy, attorneys working for companies involved in litigation against MSG Entertainment Corp. may be denied admission to shows and sporting events, even if they were not directly involved in the litigation against MSG. Attorneys subject to MSG’s policies may not be admitted even if they have purchased a ticket to the event. This is because MSG venues use facial recognition to identify individuals.
In December, attorney Kelly Conlon was denied entry to New York’s Radio City Music Hall after accompanying his daughter’s Girl Scouts to a Rockets show. Although he was not legally involved, he is an attorney for a company that is “currently involved in a personal injury lawsuit against a restaurant venue owned by MSG Entertainment.”
In a letter to MSG Entertainment on Tuesday, James’ office said, “All attorneys at all law firms representing clients involved in lawsuits against the company using facial recognition software will We banned them from entering the venue, with tickets for any season.”
“Our policy may violate the New York Civil Rights Act and other city, state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination and retaliation for engaging in protected activities,” Civil Rights Assistant Assistant Kyle Rapinyan said in the letter. I wrote to express my concern that there is.” “Such practice is certainly contrary to the spirit and purpose of such laws and to laws promoting equal access to courts. A ban could discourage such attorneys from undertaking legal cases involving sexual harassment or employment discrimination allegations.”
The AG office is also concerned that “facial recognition software may suffer from bias and false positives toward people of color and women.” By stating the justification for the company’s policies, revealing all efforts it makes to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, and clarifying that the company’s use of facial recognition technology does not lead to discrimination. I am asking you to do.
MSG says policy is not illegal
In a statement provided to Ars, an MSG spokesperson defended its policy of excluding lawyers and denied any wrongdoing.
“To be clear, our policy does not illegally prohibit anyone from entering our venues, and we discourage attorneys from representing plaintiffs in cases against us,” MSG said. “We are only excluding a small percentage of attorneys during ongoing litigation. It is silly to even suggest that someone is excluded on the basis of a protected class.Our policy has never been applied to attorneys representing plaintiffs.Alleging sexual harassment or employment discrimination person.”
James said in a press release that MSG “should treat all patrons who purchase tickets with fairness and respect. Ticket holders for events may be unjustly denied entry on the basis of their physical appearance.” Don’t worry, MSG Entertainment will reverse this policy.”
“MSG Entertainment cannot fight legal battles in their own arenas,” James said.In addition to Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, MSG owns Hulu and Beacon Theaters in New York. increase.
