Movie Fan Sues over Theater's High Snack Prices and Ban on Outside Food
A class-action lawsuit filed by a movie fan in Michigan claims the snack prices at AMC Theaters are so high that they violate price-gouging provisions of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.
Lawyer Kerry Morgan of Wyandotte filed the suit last week on behalf of Joshua Thompson, who is a “20-something security technician from Livonia,” according to the Detroit Free Press. The Los Angeles Times, the USA Today blog On Deadline and the Wyandotte Patch also have stories.
The suit says Thompson used to bring his own snacks to the movies until his AMC theater posted a sign banning outside food.
American Multi Cinema, which owns AMC, refused to comment when contacted by the Free Press and the Los Angeles Times. Eastern Michigan University business law professor Gary Victor called the suit “a loser.” Theaters are regulated businesses, and state supreme court decisions exempt most regulated businesses from the consumer protection law, he told the Free Press.
Morgan remains upbeat. “We’re going to test the legal boundaries of that state law,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Consumers by and large feel very strongly about this.”
