Madison Square Garden Lawsuit: The 2026 Data Breach Suits and Where They Stand
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The Madison Square Garden lawsuit in the news is about a June 2026 data breach. A hacking group claimed it took visitor records, including threat-assessment profiles built with facial recognition. Five proposed class actions followed in Manhattan federal court within three days. By August 31, 2026, the dockets show them voluntarily dropped. There is no settlement, no claim form and no deadline.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Said Happened
On June 16, 2026, the ShinyHunters group announced it had broken into the networks of Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG), according to the complaints. The group demanded a ransom. Front Office Sports reported that more than 42 gigabytes of data were then published online.
The lawsuits alleged the leak covered up to 26 million consumers. They also alleged MSG collects facial recognition data from people entering the arena and combines it with other information to build “threat assessment profiles.” The hackers claimed the haul included biometric data, background checks, credit scores and Social Security numbers. These are claims by the hackers and the plaintiffs. No court has tested them, and MSG called the suits “unsupported speculation and false assumptions.”
The complaints pleaded negligence and negligence per se. They also alleged MSG had not yet notified the people affected.
Case Details
All five breach suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York between June 16 and June 18, 2026. They include Avalos v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, No. 1:26-cv-05095, and Granados v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, No. 1:26-cv-05138, both assigned to Judge Jeannette A. Vargas. Judge Vargas also had Arnel v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., No. 1:26-cv-05182. Pitt v. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., No. 1:26-cv-05184, went to Judge Colleen McMahon. Pitt also named Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the Knicks and Rangers.
An earlier, separate suit concerned MSG employees. Liranzo v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., No. 1:26-cv-01791, was filed March 4, 2026 over an Oracle E-Business Suite breach involving about 130,000 current and former workers. It was dropped two days later.
Status: Breach Suits Voluntarily Dismissed, No Settlement
Every dismissal was without prejudice. That means the plaintiffs can file the same claims again. The filings gave no reason for the dismissals. The lawyer behind the first suit told Front Office Sports that another case could follow.
No court ever ruled on the allegations. There is no settlement, no fund, no administrator, no claim form and no deadline. MSG's annual report, filed in August 2026, says it does not expect its pending lawsuits to have a material adverse effect on the company.
Who Would Have Been Covered
The complaints proposed a nationwide class of “all persons in the United States whose PII was maintained by Defendant and was compromised in the Data Breach.” In practice, that meant ticket buyers, concertgoers and arena visitors, plus staff. Because the suits were dismissed before any class was certified, nobody is a class member today.
How to check whether your data leaked: Have I Been Pwned added the “Madison Square Garden Sports” breach on June 24, 2026. It lists 9.8M affected email addresses from staff and customers, with names, phone numbers, physical addresses and customer service records. Searching your email there is free.
Former MSG employees affected by the separate Oracle incident have no pending case either. MSG says it found that incident in December 2025 and judged it not material.
Is There Any Money?
For context, not as a prediction: data breach settlements usually pay documented out-of-pocket losses, a small flat payment and credit monitoring. Our data breach settlement calculator shows how those funds are typically split.
Madison Square Garden Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
January 25, 2023 — Attorney General Questions Facial Recognition
New York Attorney General Letitia James asks MSG Entertainment to explain why it uses facial recognition to turn away lawyers at more than 90 firms suing the company.
- 2
May 7, 2024 — Biometric Suit Dismissed
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismisses Gross v. Madison Square Garden Entm’t Corp., No. 1:23-cv-03380, a suit that challenged MSG's use of visitors' biometric data under New York City law.
- 3
March 4–6, 2026 — Employee Breach Suit Filed and Dropped
A former employee sues over the Oracle E-Business Suite breach involving about 130,000 workers. He withdraws the suit two days later.
- 4
June 16–18, 2026 — ShinyHunters Leak and Five Class Actions
The hacking group says it broke into MSG's network. Five proposed class actions follow in Manhattan federal court within three days.
- 5
July 2026 — Four Suits Dropped, MSG Sues Wired
Four of the five breach suits are voluntarily dismissed. On July 16, MSG Entertainment sues Wired in state court over its reporting on the leaked data.
- 6
August 31, 2026 — Last Known Breach Suit Dismissed
Pitt v. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. is voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. As of October 2026 there is no settlement and no claim process.
Court Documents
Read the key filings yourself. We host copies of the public court record, free to read and share.
Case: Avalos v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, No. 1:26-cv-05095 (S.D.N.Y.)
Full docket on CourtListenerAll court documents in our libraryDocuments from 1 related case
Case: Granados v. Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, No. 1:26-cv-05138 (S.D.N.Y.)
Full docket on CourtListenerAll court documents in our libraryA complaint states one side's allegations; only the court's orders decide anything. Copies of federal court records (PACER) via CourtListener, Free Law Project. Not legal advice.
Three Things to Watch For
A leak of millions of fan email addresses and phone numbers, with no real claim process, is ideal material for scammers:
“Claim your MSG data breach settlement”
No settlement exists, so there is no claims site. A page or text asking for your Social Security number or bank details to “secure your payment” is collecting data, not filing a claim.
Fake ticket, refund or Knicks messages
The leaked records include names, email addresses, phone numbers and customer service history. That makes it easy to send convincing messages about your tickets or a refund. Log in to your account directly instead of clicking links.
“Join the MSG class action now”
No class action is pending to join. If someone asks you to sign something, it is a retainer with a law firm, not a registration, and the suits filed in June were all withdrawn.
Madison Square Garden Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
What is the Madison Square Garden lawsuit about?
The suits filed in June 2026 were proposed class actions over a data breach claimed by the ShinyHunters group. They alleged MSG failed to protect visitor data, including facial-recognition threat-assessment profiles. Other MSG cases in the news include its suit against Wired and the Charles Oakley case.
Is there a Madison Square Garden data breach settlement or claim form?
No. As of October 2026 there is no settlement, no fund, no claim form and no deadline. All five known breach suits were voluntarily dismissed, the last one on August 31, 2026.
Why were the MSG data breach lawsuits dropped?
The court filings gave no reason. MSG said the suits were based on “unsupported speculation and false assumptions.” The dismissals were without prejudice, so the claims could be filed again.
How do I know if my information was in the MSG breach?
Have I Been Pwned lists 9.8M email addresses from the June 2026 leak, covering both staff and customers. You can search your email there for free. The lawsuits claimed up to 26 million records, but MSG has not confirmed any number. We found no official notice letter from MSG about the June incident.
Does Madison Square Garden use facial recognition?
Yes. MSG has reportedly used it since 2018, and the New York Attorney General questioned that use in January 2023. A federal biometric privacy suit over it, Gross, was dismissed by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on May 7, 2024.
Why is MSG suing Wired?
On July 16, 2026, MSG Entertainment sued Wired and its journalists in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. The suit challenges Wired's July 9 story, which was based on the leaked data and said MSG kept a list tagging some celebrities by sexual orientation. MSG calls the story false. Wired says it stands by its reporting. This is a defamation fight, not a case consumers can join.
What happened to Charles Oakley's lawsuit against MSG?
Oakley sued over his 2017 removal from a Knicks game. In August 2026, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan granted summary judgment to MSG. Front Office Sports reported that Oakley's lawyers intend to seek an “immediate jury trial.” It is an individual case with nothing for fans to claim.
What should I do right now if I bought MSG tickets?
Change your MSG account password, and any other password you reused with it. Turn on two-factor authentication, and treat texts about tickets or refunds with suspicion. If you think your Social Security number was exposed, freeze your credit at all three bureaus. It is free and reversible.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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