Washington Nationals Accused of Cheating Fans With “Junk Fees”

Case Overview: A new class action lawsuit claims the Washington Nationals Baseball Club used deceptive “junk fee” tactics to inflate ticket prices, adding undisclosed service and processing fees that raised costs by as much as 60%.

Consumers Affected: Anyone who purchased Nationals tickets online or at the box office before July 2024 and paid additional hidden fees.

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

The Washington Nationals Baseball Club allegedly misled fans with hidden ticket fees that inflated the real cost of attending games, a new lawsuit claims. 

The new class action lawsuit claims the team’s ticket prices, advertised online and at the box office, failed to include mandatory “service,” “processing,” and “convenience” fees that were only revealed at checkout. The filing accuses the Nationals of deceiving customers into paying millions more than advertised, in violation of consumer protection laws.

The lawsuit says the Nationals used what regulators call “junk fees,” extra charges tacked on at the last step of purchase, to make tickets appear cheaper than they really were. The Federal Trade Commission recently banned such practices, calling them deceptive and illegal.

Box Office Buyers Caught Off Guard by Undisclosed Charges

D.C. resident Jaymie Gustafson filed the lawsuit after she says she bought two tickets at the Nationals Park box office in May 2023 expecting to pay the advertised price. It wasn’t until she later checked her credit card statement that she discovered she’d been charged more than expected due to undisclosed fees. 

The lawsuit claims the Nationals’ hidden charges were a key factor influencing her purchase, leading her to pay more than she otherwise would have.

Lawsuit Says Nationals Used “Drip Pricing” to Mislead Consumers

According to the complaint, the Nationals regularly listed ticket prices on a color-coded seating map but refused to sell tickets for those advertised amounts. For example, a seat shown at $13 could end up costing $20.75 after fees, a 60% jump. 

The team allegedly used “drip pricing” and “partitioned pricing,” both strategies designed to conceal the true total until buyers were deep into the purchase process.

At the box office, fans reportedly waited in long lines before learning the actual total, with little explanation of what the added fees were for. Online buyers, meanwhile, faced a countdown timer during checkout, a psychological tactic meant to pressure customers into completing their purchase despite the last-minute price increase.

The lawsuit argues these practices violate D.C.’s consumer protection laws, which require businesses to advertise the full cost of goods and services. While the Nationals reportedly stopped charging the hidden fees by mid-2024, the lawsuit says the team has yet to refund the millions allegedly overcharged to fans.

Hidden Fee Lawsuits Spread Across Sports, Music, and Retail

The Nationals aren’t the only ones under fire for this type of pricing. Similar lawsuits have been filed against major entertainment and retail companies accused of luring customers with artificially low prices before revealing unavoidable fees at checkout. 

Fandango, Ticketmaster, and Live Nation are all facing legal scrutiny for so-called “drip pricing” tactics that tack on hidden service charges after buyers have already invested time selecting seats. 

Viagogo, another ticket seller, has been accused of misleading consumers by burying fees until the final payment page, while supplement brand Olly is being sued for promoting deceptively low online prices that balloon with undisclosed shipping and handling costs. 

Gustafson is seeking to represent everyone in the U.S. who purchased Nationals tickets online or at the box office before July 2024 and paid these hidden charges. The lawsuit aims to recover the money fans spent on undisclosed fees and seeks statutory penalties and punitive damages. 

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Gustafson v. Washington Nationals Baseball Club, LLC
• Case Number: 1:25-cv-03033-APM
• Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia 

Plaintiffs' Attorney:

• Hassan A. Zavareei and F. Peter Silva II (Tycko & Zavareei LLP)

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