NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit accuses Regal Cinema of "nickel and diming" those customers who purchase tickets online with a $1.80 fee.
Regal Cinemas, Inc. is facing a class-action lawsuit filed Dec. 22 by Tim Jones in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit alleges that Regal Cinemas has been charging an undisclosed $1.80 "booking fee" per ticket at checkout on its website, in violation of the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.07(4).
This law requires total cost disclosure inclusive of all ancillary fees before a ticket is selected for purchase. The plaintiff seeks actual and/or statutory damages, reasonable attorneys’ costs and fees, and injunctive relief under New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.33.
The suit blames a ticking clock on Regal's website.
"Because New York is a busy place, and because these fees are only flashed after a movie-goer selects their seats, Defendant can plausibly put its customers on a shot clock and tell them they need to decide quick, because Defendant cannot hold their seats open forever," the suit says.
"This cheap trick has enabled Defendant to swindle substantial sums of money from its customers."
Philip L. Fraietta and Stefan Bogdanovich of Bursor & Fisher are representing the plaintiff.