Hofstra class action suit: Man argues Long Island university charges 'junk fees' on events

Hofstra University violates New York State laws by charging hidden "junk fees" on tickets to basketball games and other sporting events, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court by a Stony Brook man on Tuesday.

Dominick Serra argues in his lawsuit that the "per-ticket fee" and "processing fee" the university tacks on to tickets for basketball games, lacrosse games and some wrestling matches violates state statutes, including the New York Ticketing Law," which the lawsuit said was amended in 2022 to require ticket sellers to list all fees before consumers begin the purchase process.

Serra purchased general admission tickets in person for the Hofstra women’s basketball team’s home game against Stony Brook for him and his 7-year-old daughter, according to the lawsuit. After he was told the price, Serra chose two $12 tickets but was charged $31.08, not $24. The additional $7.08 included a $5 processing fee and $2.08 in per-ticket fees.

"If an individual lacking full knowledge selected two reserved seats to the March 3 men’s basketball game," the lawsuit said, referring to last week’s home victory against Drexel, "he or she would have been assessed a per-ticket fee for each ticket selected and a processing fee for the entire order ... Hofstra would have charged the individual $37.58 for tickets that the individual would have been led to believe only cost $30. The additional $7.58 represents an approximate 25% increase in the total cost of the tickets."

Lindsey Angioletti, Hofstra’s director of public relations, said university officials had not received the lawsuit and could not comment on pending litigation. Serra’s attorney, Michael H. Sampson of Pittsburgh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit accused Hofstra of charging "junk fees," which it calls "an unexpected and sometimes hidden fee a company charges consumers for a service that often costs little to provide."

Serra also said Hofstra engaged in "drip pricing," which the court papers describe as a "technique in which firms only advertise part of a product’s price and reveal other charges later as consumers go through the buying process." New York lawmakers amended the state’s Ticketing Law in 2022 to combat junk fees and drip pricing.

Any person who purchased tickets from Hofstra and paid fees is eligible to join the lawsuit, the court papers said. The class could potentially grow to thousands. The combined attendance for Hofstra’s 13 home men’s basketball games was more than 30,000 in 2022-2023, a number that "only grows when other sports are factored in."

The complaint asks the court to order Hofstra to return all hidden fees paid by class members, and to pay unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys fees and costs incurred by the lawsuit.