South Florida woman files lawsuit over Copa America final, seeks $50,000 in damages
MIAMI - A South Florida woman has filed a lawsuit seeking over $50,000 in damages, claiming she and her family were not allowed to attend the Copa America final Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium despite having tickets.
Jackie Martinez said they were caught up in the chaos at the stadium's gates before the Argentina-Colombia match in which thousands of fans were held back after hundreds of fans rushed through gates, scaled security barriers and ran away from police.
She said she paid $4,395 for four tickets for herself, her husband and her parents to go to the game, along with her 8-month-old son, Luke.
"I was looking forward to seeing a final. I have never seen a final in my entire life. Either have my parents. It would have been the first time. We bought tickets when they came out. We didn't care who was in the final but when we found out it was Colombia, I am from Uruguay but my husband is from Colombia and it was a dream come true for him. He was so excited. He got up at 6 in the morning," she told CBS News Miami.
"When we got there, it was packed," she added. Martinez said she had tickets in row 14 of section 106.
"We could not get in. When it hit 7:30 p.m., everyone started panicking because the game was supposed to start at 8 p.m," she explained.
The game was delayed by more than an hour and 20 minutes and eventually Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 to become continental champions. She said she and her family never got in and did not see the game.
"I feel devastated. I feel sad. It was like a dream come true for us to see a final and for us soccer is a major thing. It's like somebody buying tickets to the Super Bowl and not getting in. It was very sad for everyone. I fault Hard Rock Stadium and Conmebol because they should have been prepared. They should have scanned tickets to make sure people got into the parking lot and they didn't do that," Martinez said.
She and attorney, Irwin Ast, have filed a lawsuit against Hard Rock Stadium and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the organizers of the event, for more than $50,000 in damages.
"I know there was negligence. There was pure negligence. To put on an event like this and for Hard Rock Stadium not to have checkpoints set up. You know in other countries they set up checkpoints a half mile away from the Stadium and there were no checkpoints here," her lawyer said.
"What happened was so predictable. They knew or should have known that people were going to rush the Stadium and they did rush the Stadium and they took the seats of my clients and they watch the game for free and my clients were stuck outside. It is a horrible situation," Ast added.
More lawsuits could hit Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL
He said he had heard from at least 30 other people who were cheated after paying for tickets and expects more lawsuits.
"It was a day they were supposed to remember forever and now, it is a day they will remember forever for all the wrong reasons. They have to make this right. Too many people got injured that day by not being able to go in and they spent thousands on tickets. This has damaged my clients and damaged the reputation of the area," Ast continued.
"They are supposed to trust that Miami is going to get I right the next time. I will be surprised of Miami doesn't lose the contract for the 2026 World Cup. I think this is a possibility, absolutely. This story is going to get bigger and it is going to get worse."
CONMEBOL has said it was subject to decisions made by the stadium. A spokesman for the stadium said they had worked with law enforcement.
CBS News Miami reached out to CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium about the situation with Jackie Martinez but they have not responded as of publication.