NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A jury has found Live Nation and Ticketmaster guilty of violating federal and state antitrust laws.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 33 other attorneys general were part of a coalition that filed the lawsuit. The jury decided on Wednesday that the companies had eliminated competition and drove up costs for fans, artists and venues.

“Live Nation and Ticketmaster have ripped off consumers for decades,” Skrmetti said. “…They’re finally being held accountable. A jury determined that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are an illegal monopoly … a breakup is absolutely on the table.”

Live Nation was sued by Srkmetti and 40 other states, as well as the Department of Justice, in May 2024. They alleged that the company controlled almost every aspect of live events, from venue ownership to promotion and ticketing services through Ticketmaster. This allowed them to raise prices while minimizing competition.

The DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation last month, but 33 states rejected the settlement and continued litigation.

Skrmetti and others in the coalition will attend a separate bench trial at a later date to argue for the penalties the companies should face.

“It’s been over 40 years since an antitrust case resulted in breaking up a company,” Skrmetti said, “and I think we’re due.”

Tennessee football’s spring camp is in the books following its Orange and White Game this past Saturday. With spring practices across the country coming to a close, ESPN updated its way-too-early top 25 rankings.

According to the rankings compiled by Mark Schlabach, UT is the No. 25 team in the country. This is a one-spot fall from the rankings he released heading into spring camp.

This mark is good for eighth in the SEC. The Vols trail No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 16 Alabama.

“After a disappointing 2025 season, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel made a big move on defense by firing coordinator Tim Banks and replacing him with former Penn State coordinator Jim Knowles, who helped Ohio State win the 2024 national title,” Schlabach wrote. “The Vols ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring defense (28.8 points) and total defense (397.2 yards) last season. Campbell, Coleman, Gilliam and Lane followed Knowles to UT and should be impact players. A Tennessee judge denied Aguilar’s injunction for another year of eligibility. Heupel didn’t land a big-time quarterback in the transfer portal after pursuing Ty Simpson and Sam Leavitt. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon will battle for the job in the spring.”

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The biggest question for Tennessee as it prepares for fall camp is the quarterback position. The Vols are holding a three-man race, but the likely option is between redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon.

Josh Heupel said the battle will rage on through the summer and into fall camp, and no decision has been made in the spring. The public got its first view of both options during the Orange and White Game, though.

“I do love the growth from that group,” Heupel said on the quarterbacks after the scrimmage. “I love the way that they competed with themselves, with each other, I love the way that they’ve grown every single day. Each of them maybe had a day where it was a little bit below what they had shown and their expectations, too. They responded and came back the next day and were a lot better. So, there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things that they and we have to work on as a football team.”

The other burning question is about the defense as a whole. Tennessee fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and replaced him with national champion coordinator Jim Knowles. He has retooled the personnel and brought in multiple new assistant coaches, as well.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee lawmakers could adjourn their legislative session as early as next week, but doing so requires the House Finance Subcommittee to speed through its agendas.

Longtime members of the Capitol Hill Press Corps and other legislature denizens call this subcommittee the “Black Hole.” That is because any bill that has a financial obligation from the state has to go through this one subcommittee. Bills sent here are often never seen again.

“Would you like for it to go behind the budget?” said Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) who serves as the chairman of the subcommittee.

Rep. Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon) responded, “No, mister chairman.”

Bills placed behind the budget mean they have a cost to implement the law that has to be included in the final budget passed by the legislature. They will stay stuck in the “Black Hole” until the budget debate is over. If that legislation is not included, it will automatically die for the session.

“Without objection, House Bill 2242 goes behind the budget,” Williams said during proceedings.

For the few bills that do emerge from the Black Hole, it happens quickly. The House Finance Subcommittee is currently scheduled to consider more than 240 bills. Lawmakers want to leave the Capitol by next week. This means complicated bills, like legislation that would allow surrounding areas to join the NES board of directors, move at the speed of light. Boyd’s measure would allow surrounding counties to nominate one board member to a utility board if their community represented at least 3,400 customers and up to 135,000 rate payers. If the community was larger than 135,000, that community would get two board members. “It would be appointed by the county mayor,” Boyd said.

Another example is House Bill 1710, which NewsChannel 5 highlighted on Monday. It is an immigration bill that tries to prevent undocumented immigrants from using public benefits. State Rep. Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro) spoke about the legislation. “Currently, taxpayer funded benefits are not consistently limited to lawful residents,” Powers said.

Nonprofits like Neighborhood Health worry the bill will have a negative consequence for unhoused citizens. Brian Haile, CEO of Neighborhood Health, testified about his concerns. “They don’t walk around with birth certificates, they don’t have passports,” Haile said.

Ultimately, that bill was sent to the common destination alongside plenty of other ideas. “Without objection, House Bill 1710 goes behind the budget,” Williams said.

Lawmakers hoping to see their bill included in the final budget may find out as early as this week.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com.