The US operators of Madison Square Garden (MSG) and Radio City Music Hall are under investigation by the state of New York for their use of facial recognition information at events. The technology would have been used to identify lawyers and exclude them from presentations.
AG Letitia James’ office said the policy could violate civil rights laws. Because of the Operators Policy, attorneys working in litigation firms against production companies may be denied access to concerts or sporting events, even if they are not directly involved with MSG.
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In December, attorney Kelly Conlon was denied entry to Radio City Music Hall in New York when she was accompanying her daughter and friends to a Rockettes concert. Conlon was not personally involved in any lawsuits against the operator, but is an attorney for a company “involved in a personal injury case against a restaurant now being defended by MSG Entertainment,” Arstechnica reported.
A letter from James’ office to MSG Entertainment shows that “all attorneys at all law firms representing clients involved in litigation against the company used facial recognition software to restrict entry to the company’s premises York, including the use of any season tickets.”
“We are writing to raise concerns that the policy may violate the New York Civil Rights Act and other local, state, and federal laws that prohibit discrimination and retaliation for engaging in protected activities,” wrote Assistant AG Kyle Rapiñan of the Department of Human Rights civil rights. in the letter.
“Such practices certainly run counter to the spirit and purpose of such laws and statutes that promote equal access to justice: Denying access to attorneys representing clients who have been involved in litigation against the company may deter such attorneys from seeking legitimate cases, including sex offenses, allegations of harassment or discrimination in the workplace”.
An MSG spokesman said using facial recognition is not illegal. “To be clear, our policy prohibits anyone from entering our premises illegally, and it is not our intention to prevent attorneys from representing plaintiffs in litigation against us,” MSG said.
“We only shut out a small percentage of attorneys only during active litigation. More importantly, to suggest that someone is disfellowshipped because of the protected classes set out in state and federal civil rights laws is ridiculous. Our policy has never applied to attorneys representing plaintiffs alleging sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace.”
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