A kiss cam clip from a Coldplay concert may have triggered not just internet drama, but possible legal action as well.
Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron is reportedly considering filing a lawsuit against Coldplay and event organizers after footage of himself and former colleague Kristin Cabot at the band’s Gillette Stadium show went viral, sparking memes and massive controversy.
Highlights
- Rumors are swirling that former Astronomer CEO Andy Bryon is considering suing Coldplay over a viral kiss cam moment.
- Legal experts say any defamation case would likely be too hard to prove.
- The viral moment has led to memes, resignations, and public scrutiny of Bryon and former colleague Kristin Cabot.
Experts, however, have maintained that the former CEO will likely have a challenging time arguing the legitimacy of his potential legal claims.
The awkward kiss cam moment sparked chaos and united the internet in memes
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The drama began when Coldplay’s live concert cameras roamed the crowd and landed on Byron and Cabot.
Byron had his arm around Cabot at the time, and upon being broadcast on the jumbotron, the pair reacted very strangely. Byron quickly ducked out of view while Cabot immediately covered her face, much to the excitement of the audience.
Things took an even more awkward turn when Coldplay frontman Chris Martin poked fun at the couple's reaction.
Image credits: Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Responding to Byron and Cabot’s strange reactions, Martin joked that “either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
That brief moment was enough to set social media ablaze, with the original video of the incident hitting over 128 million views as of writing.
Online users quickly began speculating about the nature of Byron and Cabot’s relationship, and it was soon discovered that both were in relationships with other people.
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It did not take long before Byron’s wife removed his surname from her Facebook profile before deleting it.
Former employees from Astronomer also joined in with some tea, and the company went into full damage control mode.
Not long after the concert, both Byron and Cabot were placed on administrative leave by Astronomer. A few days later, they stepped down.
The company confirmed it had initiated an internal review once the clip circulated online, adding more fuel to an already blazing situation.
Though neither Byron nor Cabot has spoken publicly about the controversy, their swift departures only deepened public curiosity.
Andy Byron is reportedly considering suing Coldplay, but legal experts believe it’s an exercise in futility
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According to a report from Page Six, Byron may be considering filing a lawsuit against Coldplay and the concert’s organizers.
Insiders suggested that the former CEO blames Chris Martin for the drama, especially since the Coldplay frontman joked about them having an affair.
“He didn’t consent to being filmed or publicly humiliated. He thinks Coldplay made him a meme,” a source reportedly close to Byron said, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Image credits: kristincabotofficial
Lawyer Camron Dowlatshahi from MSD Lawyers pointed out that Byron could theoretically file a defamation case against the band.
However, he would have to prove that Chris Martin “knew or should have known” that the CEO was not cheating, but he “made the statement anyway with malice.”
Unfortunately for Byron, these criteria are rarely met in court.
Image credits: Maud Cabot/Facebook
Dowlatshahi stated that it would be particularly difficult to argue a defamation case since Byron and Cabot attended a public concert with 70,000 people.
“None of those elements will be met, so any claim against Coldplay would be frivolous.
“I also very much doubt that Mr. Byron would want further public scrutiny by bringing a borderline frivolous suit against the event organizers and/or Coldplay,” the lawyer said.
Image credits: Meg Kerrigan
Ray Seilie, an attorney at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP, shared the same sentiments, stating that Chris Martin’s comments fall short of the threshold for a defamation case.
“(Martin’s) comments… fall far short of the threshold for defamation.
“For one thing, even if this statement is interpreted as a factual statement about their affair, it appears to be true,” Seilie said.
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Byron also “has no expectation of privacy in a public arena (and my guess is that he accepted an even broader release of privacy-related claims when he purchased his ticket),” Seilie added.
Jules Polonetsky, CEO of Future of Privacy Forum, also stated that the former CEO will have a difficult time arguing for his privacy when the incident happened.
“Byron had no reasonable expectation of privacy in a very public place, so he doesn’t have any grounds to object to the photos and videos.”
Image credits: Astronomer
“Recording audio secretly can be captured by wiretapping state laws, but that’s audio only.
“And even there, ticket purchases usually explicitly inform attendees that the venue they are attending is recording as part of the terms and conditions,” Polonetsky said.
Netizens, for their part, are still relishing in the former CEO's discomfort, as well as his potentially frivolous lawsuit
