MSG defends using facial recognition to kick lawyer out of Rockettes show

When Kelly Conlon joined her daughter's Girl Scout troop for a fun outing to see the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York, she had no idea she would be kicked out of the show.

NBC New York reported that she was stopped because she is a lawyer. Madison Square Garden Entertainment has begun using facial recognition technology to identify visitors to its venues who are involved in litigation against it.

Conlon has never practiced law in New York. She is guilty by association because she is an associate of Davis, Saperstein and Solomon, who have spent years in litigation against a restaurant.

She became aware of the conflict of interest when security guards approached her in the lobby of Radio City Music Hall. Conlon heard a warning about a woman in a gray scarf, then security told her, "Our recognition picked you up."

She was escorted out despite assuring security that she wasn't an attorney that worked on cases against the Madison Square Garden Company. The same thing would happen to any attorney involved in her firm, according to a statement from the company.

According to the statement provided to NBC, "MSG instituted a straightforward policy that precludes attorneys from pursuing active litigation against the Company until that litigation has been resolved." We can't ignore the fact that litigation creates an adverse environment.

According to a New York Times report, facial recognition technology was used by MSG in the last year. The technology is being used by the venue. Conlon told NBC that she was just a mom taking her daughter to see a Christmas show and that she posed no threat. She said her experience was embarrassing andmortifying.

Conlon didn't go to the show with her daughter. According to NBC, others who have been blacklisted have sued the company over the way it punishes law firms that go after entertainers. The only exception to the policy has been one firm that won in court.