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HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 11: Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers at NRG Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Pho
HOUSTON - Several people who buy season tickets to Houston Texans games are suing the team for more than $1 million, claiming the team abruptly changed its policies, charging them more than other season ticket holders.
The group of Permanent Seat License (PSL) holders filed a lawsuit in Harris County district court claiming that the Texans are violating Texas' Free Enterprise Act.
Season ticket holders sue Texans
The Lawsuit:
The plaintiffs, which include several individuals and a few companies, claim the team took part in fraud, conspiracy and breach of contract.
The suit claims that the PSL holders were encouraged by the team for years to buy more of the seat licenses, which they then sold on the secondary market. Some of the plaintiffs say the team encouraged them to purchase more season tickets when the team was struggling, helping the Texans' bottom line and helping fill seats at NRG Stadium.
After the Texans' surprise turnaround in the 2023 season, the team changed its rules, according to the suit.
Before the 2024 season, the PSL holders were told that their tenured status would be revoked, causing their prices to jump by 10%.
The team also allegedly sent an email saying they are reviewing how many season tickets the plaintiffs could purchase for the 2024-2025 season. The PSL holders say the team had full knowledge that they were buying the tickets with the intent to sell them.
The license holders say that the Texans are just hoping that they will give up their PSLs and that the team would resell the tickets themselves.
"It has become clear that the Texans are actively attempting to restrict the free market and eliminate competition so that they can charge more for 8 tickets on the secondary ticket market, leaving Texans fans who purchase tickets paying more," reads the lawsuit. "Once the Texans effectively overprice the Plaintiffs’ season ticket prices, they can reclaim the PSLs’ ownership and sell them with their preferred ticket resale partner on the secondary ticket market at inflated prices to increase profits to the team, all of which comes at the expense of free markets and the fans who purchase tickets today."
The suit claims the Texans are restraining trade and commerce in a way that is prohibited by the Texas Free Enterprise Act of 1983.
"The Texans’ actions to target Plaintiffs and charge them more than other tenured PSL holders constitutes a conspiracy in restraint of trade and commerce because it puts Plaintiffs at a disadvantage in trying to buy and sell tickets on the open marketplace," reads the suit.
The suit seeks at least $1 million in damages, but can be tripled if the team is found liable.
The other side:
""We were recently made aware of a lawsuit filed by certain ticket resellers. We believe these allegations are meritless and look forward to addressing them appropriately," said the Texans in a statement to FOX 26.
Dig deeper:
The Source: Information in this article comes from the lawsuit filed in Harris County.
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