Madison Square Garden’s face recognition tech snags ANOTHER lawyer

Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan has used facial recognition again to refuse entry to his popular entertainment venue because the attorney’s firm is in battle with his company. 

Long Island attorney Alexis Majano, 28, was targeted by the technology and stopped on an escalator as he attempted to spectate a Knicks and Celtics game on Nov 5.

The 28-year-old was denied access, despite being a ticketholder, to the game which saw the Celtics thrash the Knicks 133-118.

MSG Entertainment argue that they have a ‘straightforward’ policy which ‘precludes attorneys from firms pursuing active litigation from attending events’ until its been resolved – a mandate it says attorneys at those firms are aware of.

Long Island attorney Alexis Majano, 28, was targeted by facial recognition and stopped on an escalator as he attempted to spectate a Knicks and Celtics game on Nov 5

Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan has again used facial recognition to refuse entry of a lawyer, this time, 28-year-old Majano

Majano works at the law firm Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz, which recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a fan who fell from a Skybox at Madison Square Garden during a Billy Joel concert.

‘I was upset, we had a whole night planned out that got botched, I said, ‘this is ridiculous,’ Majano told the New York Post.

The young attorney told the outlet that he had been stopped by a ‘gentleman in a suit’ who clarified his identity, before telling Majano that the manager wanted to speak to him.

One of the workers had a body cam and informed Majano that the conversation ‘was being recorded’ before grilling him, he claimed.

Majano, who works for the firm but isn’t involved in the case, said the worker had a long list of attorneys he’d apparently been instructed to kick out.

‘He handed me a list of 20 to 30 pages of random names and firms. He asked me … ‘Do you work for Sahn Ward? Are you an attorney?’ I said yes,’ Majano said.

‘They explained very briefly: Any firms with litigation against MSG are banned. I was shocked.’

When Majano asked the worker how the venue had identified him, ‘He said, ‘We caught you on facial recognition.’

‘I was fairly certain they were right because I didn’t show ID, the tickets didn’t have my name on them,’ he said.

MSG Entertainment told DailyMail.com that they ‘instituted a straightforward policy.’

‘[The policy] precludes attorneys from firms pursuing active litigation against the Company from attending events at our venues until that litigation has been resolved,’ a statement read.

‘While we understand this policy is disappointing to some, we cannot ignore the fact that litigation creates an inherently adversarial environment.

Kelly Conlon, 44, who works at a firm involved in a litigation against MSG Entertainment has been booted from a Radio City Music Hall in New York after she was targeted using facial recognition

A sign saying facial recognition is used as a security measure to ensure safety for guests and employees is present at the venue

Sam Davis, a partner at the firm where Conlon works described the incident as ‘collective punishment’ against those who take on MSG Entertainment

The statement went on to say that all impacted attorneys had been notified of the policy.

‘We continue to make clear that impacted attorneys will be welcomed back to our venues upon resolution of the litigation,’ the statement read.

When asked about facial recognition tools, typically used to protect the safety of people at the venue, MSG Entertainment said the technology is ‘widely used throughout the country.’

‘Including the sports and entertainment industry, retail locations, casinos and airports to protect the safety of the people that visit and work at those locations,’ the statement said.

‘Our venues are worldwide destinations and several sit on major transit hubs in the heart of New York.

‘We have always made it clear to our guests and to the public that we use facial recognition as one of our tools to provide a safe and secure environment for our customers and ourselves.’

The incident is the second in recent months denying a lawyer, who is not directly linked to a case against MSG Entertainment being denied access to venues in New York. 

Kelly Conlon, 44, had been chaperoning her nine-year-old daughter’s Girl Scout troop to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular last month when she was flagged and asked to leave the venue.

The girl scout mother was then forced to spend 90 minutes wandering around outside in the rain while her daughter watched the show despite holding a ticket, the New York Post reported.

Conlon is not directly linked to any cases against MSG but is an associate with the New Jersey based law firm, Davis, Saperstein and Solomon, that is. She described the experience as ’embarrassing and mortifying.’ 

‘It was pretty simultaneous to me going through the metal detector, that I heard over an intercom or loudspeaker say woman with long dark hair and a grey scarf,’ she told NBC New York.

She had been chaperoning her nine-year-old daughter’s Girl Scout troop to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular last month when she was asked to leave the venue

Conlon said she was just a mother taking her daughter to see a Christmas show and explained that she had no choice but to wait outside

The Rockettes are an American precision dance company. Founded 1925 in St. Louis, they have, since 1932, performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City

‘They knew my name before I told it to them, they knew the firm I was associated with before I told them, and they told me that I was not allowed to be there.’

A sign saying facial recognition is used as a security measure to ensure safety for guests and employees is present at the venue.

But Conlon argued that she posed no threat, but the guards still kicked her out with the explanation that they knew she was an attorney.

‘They knew my name before I told them. They knew the firm I was associated with before I told them. And they told me I was not allowed to be there,’ said Conlon.

The New Jersey based law firm, Davis, Saperstein and Solomon, has been involved in personal injury litigation against a restaurant venue now under the umbrella of MSG Entertainment, for years.

‘I don’t practice in New York. I’m not an attorney that works on any cases against MSG,’ said Conlon.

Sam Davis, a partner at the firm where Conlon works described the incident as ‘collective punishment.’

‘This whole scheme is a pretext for doing collective punishment on adversaries who would dare sue MSG in their multi-billion-dollar network,’ Davis said.

Other firms have sued over being blacklisted with Conlon saying that she thought a recent judge’s order in one of those cases made it clear ticketholders would not be denied entry to shows.

‘In this particular situation, only the one attorney who chose to attend was denied entry, and the rest of her group, including the Girl Scouts, were all able to attend and enjoy the show,’ MSG stated.

Conlon said she was just a mother taking her daughter to see a Christmas show and explained that she had no choice but to wait outside.

Davis said he would now be challenging MSG’s license with the State Liquor Authority.

‘The liquor license that MSG got requires them to admit members of the public, unless there are people who would be disruptive who constitute a security threat,’ said Davis.

‘Taking a mother, separating a mother from her daughter and Girl Scouts she was watching over and to do it under the pretext of protecting any disclosure of litigation information is absolutely absurd.

‘The fact they’re using facial recognition to do this is frightening. It’s un-American to do this.’