On Tuesday, June 2, FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced that he would resign his position at a sudden press conference at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich. Blatter, who was just re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, May 29, explained that he would continue to carry out the functions as the head of FIFA until a new election occurs. With FIFA’s next congress scheduled for May 2016, a special meeting of FIFA’s member nations will be held to elect a new president. Pursuant to FIFA’s rules, …
Continue ReadingAuthor: 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.
Flag on the Play: NFL, AP Urge Court to Close Book on Photographers’ Antitrust Suit
On Friday, May 29, the National Football League and the Associated Press told a New York federal court that the seven photographers bringing a copyright and antitrust suit had lost their right to file a revised complaint. In March, U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet dismissed the photographers’ claims, but gave them twenty days to file a new complaint. The parties then agreed to a three-week extension for the amended pleadings to be filed, but the photographers failed to meet the May 11 deadline.
Rather …
Continue ReadingOne Giant Accusation: Motion to Disqualify Judge Now Pending in Giants Fake Merchandise Lawsuit
Eric Inselberg, a memorabilia dealer bringing suit against the New York Giants, has moved to disqualify Superior Court Judge James DeLuca, contending that his impartiality is at issue. Judge DeLuca has disclosed that he is the owner of two personal seat licenses that enable him to purchase season tickets for Giants home games. Additionally, he has stated that while his son essentially controls the tickets, he does attend one or two of the games per season and has been a fan of the franchise since …
Continue ReadingJay-Z Sanctioned as “Big Pimpin’” Copyright Trial Date Approaches
On Thursday, May 28, a federal judge in California sanctioned Jay-Z for his failure to properly comply with a discovery request in the current litigation regarding Jay Z’s sampling of the Egyptian song “Khosara, Khosara” for use in his hit single “Big Pimpin’.” Jay Z was ordered to pay plaintiff Osama Ahmed Fahmy $3,000 for the expenses and attorneys’ fees Fahmy incurred while compelling the production of an unredacted agreement between Jay Z and concert-promotion company Live Nation.
Fahmy had originally requested $15,000 in attorneys’ …
Continue ReadingDuerson Family Backs Off NFL Concussion Settlement Appeal; Heimburger Presses Forward
Former NFL lineman Craig Heimburger recently filed a notice of appeal in an attempt to put a stop to the current $1 billion NFL Concussion settlement. The appeal of the settlement has the potential to delay care for players in medical need of its proceeds by many months. Heimburger’s decision is in stark contrast to that recently made by the family of the late Dave Duerson, who decided against an appeal as they
… Continue Reading“[didn’t] want to hold up awards for retirees who need
FIFA Under Fire: United States and Switzerland Each Alleging Corruption
On Wednesday, May 27, more than a dozen Swiss law enforcement officials arrived at the Baur au Lac, a luxury hotel in Zurich, where they proceeded to arrest several top soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges. The U.S. Justice Department announced that it had charged nine current and former FIFA officials and five others with racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses, in connection with their participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through …
Continue ReadingTwo B.B. King Heirs Allege Murder by Poison; Police Deny Investigation
Following the sorrowful death of B.B. King, two of his daughters, Karen Williams and Patty King, accused his two closest aides of hastening his death by way of poison. They allege that family members were prevented from visitation while B.B. King’s business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, were the only people with him.
Toney and Johnson have declined to comment on the accusations, but Toney, who worked for B.B. King for 39 years and had power-of-attorney over his affairs, has shrugged …
Continue ReadingFans Granted Class Certification in NHL and MLB Blackout Litigation
On Thursday, May 14, Judge Scheindlin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, granted class certification to the consumers suing the MLB, NHL, and broadcasters over blackout dates and high prices for sports packages.
The fans brought their lawsuit back in 2012 against both leagues, individual clubs, Comcast, and DirecTV, claiming that broadcast restrictions violated antitrust law. Those restrictions specifically include territorial blackouts for consumers who purchase large sports packages claiming to carry all games as well as many providers’ …
Continue ReadingDeceased NHL Player Suffered From CTE; Family to Sue NHL
On Tuesday, May 12, the Canadian Sports Concussion Project released a report confirming that deceased NHL player, Steve Montador, suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), prompting his family to continue with a lawsuit directed at the National Hockey League.
Steve Montador died in February at the age of 35 and had agreed to submit his brain for testing before his early death. Like many other professional athletes who’ve died young and been diagnosed post-mortem with CTE, Montador suffered from depression, erratic behavior, and memory loss …
Continue ReadingNFL Concussion Settlement Appealed; Benefits Delayed Again
The long-awaited settlement between the National Football League and its former players suffering from concussion-related injuries will be further delayed as one player and his wife filed an appeal of the agreed upon and judge-approved settlement on Wednesday, May 13.
The settlement, having gone through several negotiations and a prior rejection by Judge Anita Brody, addressed the court’s concerns on monetary limit and was finally approved on April 22. The latest settlement relieves the $675 million cap the NFL set on its contribution to …
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