A New Type of Speech for Leo: DiCaprio Ordered to Testify in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Defamation Case

On June 16, 2016 a New York federal judge ordered international superstar and recent Oscar winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio to answer questions about the writing of the 2013 hit movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Despite his objections that he neither wrote nor directed the movie and he would not be helpful to the case, the judge ordered for DiCaprio to be deposed at a time convenient to his schedule.

This order stems from a $50 million defamation lawsuit brought by Andrew Greene against the …

June 23, 2016 Golf / Litigation

PGA Tour Caddies Looking to Get Back in the Fairway of Human Billboard Case

On June 15, 2016 PGA Tour caddies filed a brief with the Ninth Circuit urging the appeals court to reverse dismissal of their lawsuit. Their argument is based on the caddies’ belief the California Judge presiding over the case was too quick in his dismissal, failing to give the caddies a chance to present all of their relevant evidence prior to dismissal.

Previously, the caddies filed an anti-trust class action lawsuit for misappropriation of their likeness and images in commercial activities by using them as …

June 22, 2016 Concussions / Litigation

Illegal Procedure: Riddell Cannot Juke Around Football Helmet Suit

A West Virginia U.S. District Judge, John T. Copenhaver Jr., said that Riddell Inc. cannot escape the youth football helmet suit filed against the company. On Friday, June 17, 2016, Judge Copenhaver found that the proposed class action, brought by a youth football league, contains claims that are plausible.

Midwestern Midget Football Club Inc.’s filed suit against the helmet maker in 2015. The suit alleges that the helmet company overcharged consumers for football helmets, justifying the premium cost with the results of a statistically inaccurate …

June 22, 2016 Litigation / NCAA

NCAA: What To Do With $9 Million?

The marathon antitrust case commenced in 2009 between the NCAA and former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and other former student athletes continues to this day. Several disgruntled former student athletes are suing the NCAA for wrongfully profiting off their likeness. The former students argue that the NCAA wrongfully used and profited from their names, images and likeness in various ways — including video games like EASports — without being compensated for it.

Last May, U.S. District Judge Wilken ordered the NCAA to immediately pay …

June 21, 2016 Litigation / NFL

L.A. Rams Lawsuit Stays in Federal Court, For Now

On Monday, June 20, 2016, a Missouri federal judge ruled to keep a proposed class action lawsuit against the soon-to-be Los Angeles Rams in federal court during an appeal. There had been a previous order on May 10 to remand the case back to state court on jurisdictional grounds, but U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White decided the potential for extra costs and duplicative litigation was enough to stay the order while waiting on a decision from the federal appeals court.

The lawsuit was originally …

June 21, 2016 Litigation / MLB

Miami Marlins Sue Ex-Season Ticket Holder — The Case of Mickey Axelband

Mickey Axelband is self-proclaimed lifelong baseball fan. When the Miami Marlins were formed in 1993, he bought two season tickets and was excited to be part of the new franchise. Now, Mickey finds himself the defendant of a lawsuit. The plaintiff? None other than his beloved Miami Marlins.

In 2012, the Miami Marlins opened up their new stadium—Marlins Park. Axelband agreed to upgrade his two season-tickets and pay $24,000 per season for the pair of seats. As part of the upgrade, the Marlins promised various …

June 20, 2016 Litigation

$1.85 Million Award against American Sniper Author Overruled

The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a jury award for defamation and tossed a claim of unjust enrichment against the estate of Chris Kyle, the bestselling author of “American Sniper.” On June 13, 2016, a majority of the three-judge panel held that the plaintiff, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, improperly referenced Kyle’s insurance policy during the trial. This decision reversed a jury award of $1.85 million against former U.S. Navy SEAL Kyle. The court ordered a new trial on the defamation claim; but, …

June 18, 2016 Litigation

Texas Basketball Referee Fights Back in Antitrust Suit

Charles Brasier, a former high school basketball official, is suing Wichita Falls Area Basketball Officials Association (WFABOA), alleging deprivation of property without due process and various antitrust violations including the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and Texas antitrust law. In February, Brasier claimed to have been unlawfully stripped of his certification, preventing him from refereeing the 2015-16 high school boys and girls basketball season.

Brasier alleges that he attempted but failed to create a rival referee association within the University Interscholastic League (UIL). As a result, …

June 16, 2016 Fraud / Litigation

SEC Requests Seizure of Super Bowl Ring

On June 10, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked a California court for permission to seize former NFL player Willie Gault’s Super Bowl ring. Gault, who helped the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX in 1986, agreed to pay $206,571 in April of 2015 for his role in inflating the stock of heart-monitoring device maker Heart Tronics, Inc., where he served as co-chief executive officer.

The SEC is asking for Gault’s ring to help satisfy the settlement, which consists of a $78,000 civil …

June 16, 2016 Litigation / NHL

Benched: Fans Settle Suit Against NJ Devils for Restricting Season Ticket Resale

On Friday, June 10, 2016, U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi issued an order dismissing the New Jersey Devils’ ticket resale case without costs (Olsen et al v. New Jersey Devils, LLC., 2:15-cv-02807). The dismissal comes after parties reported that an agreement had been reached, settling the proposed class action suit. The suit stemmed from plaintiffs’ claim that their 2013-2014 season tickets were canceled after attempting to resell tickets on StubHub.

In April 2015, two Devils fans, Ray Olsen and Alex Olsen, …