Author: Joseph M. Hanna

Joseph M. Hanna is the founder and chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Practice Group and editor of the Sports and Entertainment Law Insider blog. With a national practice and industry-wide reputation for leadership, Joe is consistently ranked among the top 10 attorneys based in Western New York in Business First’s annual Legal Elite, and in 2015, Joe was the youngest honoree ever to be named Lawyer of the Year in the Bar Association of Erie County’s 130-year history. He was named a Rising Star by Law360 in 2014 and is also a member of the Mediator Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

July 16, 2015 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation

Truce: Orostream LLC And World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.’s Legal Battle Ends In A Stipulated Motion For Dismissal

The legal battle between Orostream LLC and World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. came to an end on Wednesday when a Texas federal judge signed off on an order granting a stipulated motion for dismissal that both parties had filed with the court on Tuesday.

Orostream originally filed the suit against WWE, along with various other sports and entertainment companies, alleging that the companies’ mobile content distribution applications infringed on Orostream’s data-transfer U.S. Patent Number 5,828,837. WWE counter-claimed, alleging that claim 37 of U.S. Patent Number 5,828,837 …

July 16, 2015 Litigation / NCAA

Let’s Try That Again: Ex-NCAA Athletes Appeal Publicity Rights Suit to Sixth Circuit

On Monday, July 13, a group of ten former student athletes filed a notice of appeal with the Sixth Circuit regarding their publicity rights’ claims. Ultimately, this effort fits into the much larger battle of whether student athletes should receive compensation for their participation in sporting events.

The former college athletes are disputing U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp’s dismissal of their claims on grounds that they failed to sufficiently back their arguments that they deserve compensation under Tennessee law. The plaintiffs are seeking to prove …

July 15, 2015 NCAA

Breaking The Bank: Plaintiff Attorneys In NCAA Class Action Lawsuit Awarded $46 Million In Fees

On Monday, a judge ordered that the NCAA pay plaintiffs’ attorneys’ in a class action suit initiated in 2009. The suit was brought by Ed O’Bannon and 19 others, and the payment will total $44.4 million in fees plus $1.5 million in costs.

In arguing against the award, the NCAA’s attorneys likened the situation to the book “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, claiming this was “a tale of two lawsuits,” as the lawsuit underwent significant changes in 2012.

In response to the …

July 15, 2015 Celebrities

50 Cent Finances: Curtis Jackson Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Rap mogul Curtis Jackson, who also goes by the moniker 50 Cent, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, July 13 following a $5 million judgment against him in a somewhat bizarre lawsuit. That lawsuit was filed by Lastonia Leviston, the ex-girlfriend of rapper Rick Ross. She claimed that Jackson violated her privacy by posting a sex tape of her on the internet.

Jackson’s attorney, William A. Brewer III said in a statement:

This filing for personal bankruptcy protection permits Mr. Jackson to continue his

July 14, 2015 MLB

Nothing but Net: Lawsuit Seeks Safety Netting for MLB Ballparks

On Monday, July 13, Oakland Athletics season-ticket holder Gail Payne filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Major League Baseball to extend the safety netting at each of the ballparks. The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of all fans who purchase season tickets in currently unprotected areas of MLB ballparks. It seeks no monetary compensation and instead insists that the league install safety netting from foul pole to foul pole.

Among other arguments, the lawsuit provides examples of serious injuries that have occurred at …

July 14, 2015 Litigation / NFL

Keeping the Drive Going: NFL Continues to Fight Against Fans’ Bid for Costs

On Friday, July 10, the NFL argued against an attorneys’ fees request by fans who originally sued over seat complaints from Super Bowl XLV. In its reply brief supporting a motion filed in June, the NFL urged U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn that the request for more than $83,000 in cost reimbursements should either be denied entirely or reduced by at least 90 percent.

In the brief, the NFL suggested that despite the $75,850 jury award the fans won in March for their …

July 11, 2015 Soccer

Down in a Blaze of Banishment: FIFA Bans Ex-Official Chuck Blazer for Life

On Thursday, July 9, FIFA officials banned Chuck Blazer, the former FIFA executive committee member, for life from soccer-related activities at the national or international level. Blazer, after pleading guilty to charges of bribery, money laundering, and tax evasion, worked undercover with prosecutors in the United States to help lead to the arrest of several FIFA officials.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee had suspended its original investigations into Blazer regarding corrupt financial management in May 2013 after it received written assurances that he was suffering from colon …

July 10, 2015 Libel

Joe No-Show: Libel Suit Against Wynn Las Vegas Dismissed

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis’ libel suit against Steve Wynn of Wynn Las Vegas was dismissed by a California federal judge on Wednesday after an extended period of inactivity on the plaintiff’s end. The libel suit alleged that Wynn had made false accusations about Francis regarding an unpaid gambling debt. Wynn commented on the case, stating:

“Francis’ own statements and actions have made clear that he has no intention of taking this case to trial … Because Francis cannot travel to the United States,

July 8, 2015 NFL / Trademark

Downward Spiral Continues for Redskins as Judge Upholds Trademark Cancellation Decision

On Wednesday, July 08, a federal judge ordered the cancellation of the Washington Redskins’ federal trademark registrations. United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ruled that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should cancel the team’s trademark, finding that the name “may disparage” Native Americans.

Judge Gerald Bruce Lee’s decision affirmed the earlier ruling by the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In that ruling, the appeal board held in a 2-1 vote that the team’s moniker is offensive to Native Americans and therefore ineligible …

July 7, 2015 Litigation

CTE Litigaton Continues: WWE Sued On Behalf Of Late Wrestler

A lawsuit was filed on Friday, June 26, on behalf of Matthew Osborne, better known by his WWE alter ego Doink the Clown. Osborne passed away on June 28, 2013 after accidentally overdosing on morphine and hydrocodone. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Dallas, Texas, alleging that Osborne sustained traumatic head injuries while in the WWE that resulted in depression and drug use, and ultimately lead to his death.

More specifically, the lawsuit alleges the following:

WWE took inadequate steps to correct …