Settlement reached with promoters who overcharged for wheelchair-accessible seats at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
The Department of Justice on Monday announced a settlement with the City and County of Denver and several concert promoters after an investigation found wheelchair-accessible seats at Red Rocks Amphitheatre were being sold for more money than they should have been. Disability rights advocates are concerned as the price issue came immediately after another fight that ended in a settlement.
"People in wheelchairs finally get the access to which they're legally entitled," said Kevin Williams, the Legal Program Director for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition. "And everybody is jacking up the price of the seats that we were finally able to make available to the community who needs them."
Williams said he didn't know about the Department of Justice case, but five years ago was involved in a suit over how the tickets to accessible seats were being sold. A settlement reached with the city then made changes to the sale of tickets. Red Rocks has accessible seating in the first and last rows.
"Rocks is the most majestic concert venue anywhere and everybody knows that. It's very rare that wheelchair seating is in the front row," Williams said.
The DOJ opened a case after a complaint was filed saying those tickets were now being sold for too much money.
"It's been one of the only treats I allow myself to experience because I just don't have that much money. So, I'll save up for like months just to go to a concert and that's what I give my money to, Red Rocks. So, for them to make it even harder for me to go is a slap in the face," Amy Fink told the DOJ.
Monday's announcement says 178 events overcharged the front row accessible tickets from 2018 to 2020. $47,950 will be refunded to the individuals who have already been identified.
Denver Arts and Venues, who operate Red Rocks, said in a statement, "The Red Rocks Amphitheatre team has worked closely with the Department of Justice, AXS and our promoter partners to review the pricing of tickets for accessible seating in 2018 and 2019. The review revealed that some of these tickets were not in line with the pricing ratio required by the ADA and has resulted in refunds to approximately 200 buyers ranging between approximately $7 and $80 for a total of approximately $40,000. Going forward, all the parties have agreed that accessible seats will be priced at the lowest price designated for each show to avoid any miscalculations on the required pricing ratio under the ADA."
Williams is hoping this will be the last issue people with disabilities will have to deal with at the venue.
"Why when we finally got people who use wheelchairs access to what they're legally entitled to have, why did prices suddenly get jacked up for those seats?" he said. "It is my deepest hope that the City and County of Denver follows through on the advice it receives from the people like me who use motorized wheelchairs to be able to get to the legally required accessible seats."