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Chicago Company Files Suit Over Inferior Super Bowl Tickets

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A Chicago-based sports marketing company filed a federal breach of contract lawsuit Wednesday against a Wisconsin-based company that allegedly provided tickets to inferior seats at the Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

Chicago-based V.I.P. Sports Marketing Inc. claims it had an agreement with Event USA Corp. to purchase seats to the Super Bowl for $337,000, but instead got tickets to inferior seats in auxiliary sections, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court.

The sports marketing and hospitality service contacted Event USA -- the official tour company of the Green Bay Packers -- on Jan. 21 and agreed to buy 90 tickets for corporate clients, according to the suit. The agreement provided the tickets would be in sections 401-402 and 421-433, and not in auxiliary sections.

The suit claims Event USA delivered the tickets less than three days before the game, and 88 of 90 were in the auxiliary section. The tickets in the auxiliary level were less valuable than the tickets V.I.P. Sports purchased.

The suit claims V.I.P. Sports' clients who purchased tickets were "thrust into the massive disorder of the day, missing portions of the event, being herded to different, and often worse seats," and left the event with a poor impression of V.I.P. Sports' services.

Several clients said they will cancel future events with the company because of their experience at the Super Bowl.

The breach of contract suit seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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