Company alleges article contained false and misleading claims regarding customer data
Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG Entertainment) has filed a defamation lawsuit against Wired magazine, reporter Noah Shachtman, and related parties in connection with an article published on July 9.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that the publication contained false and misleading information regarding customer data obtained following a cyberattack on the company. According to MSG Entertainment, the article inaccurately characterized information from its customer relationship management (CRM) system and falsely suggested the company maintained a list of LGBTQIA individuals for discriminatory purposes.
In the complaint, MSG Entertainment contends that the data cited in the article originated from information stolen during a cyberattack and that Wired selectively used portions of that material to support what the company describes as an inaccurate narrative. The lawsuit further alleges that the publication’s headline and subsequent promotion of the story were defamatory.
MSG Entertainment states that the CRM platform is used to manage customer relationships, including event invitations, sponsorship opportunities, charitable initiatives, and community outreach. The company says the database contains numerous customer information fields used for standard business purposes and disputes the article’s characterization of how the information was collected or used.
The lawsuit also accuses Wired and Shachtman of publishing the story with reckless disregard for the truth and seeks to hold the defendants liable for defamation.
Wired has said that it stands by its reporting. The litigation stems from reporting published on July 9 regarding data obtained from a cybersecurity breach affecting MSG Entertainment. The case is expected to proceed through the courts, where the allegations made by both parties will be subject to judicial review.
