Michigan State Agrees to Pay $500 Million to Larry Nassar Victims

On, May 16, 2018, news broke of a monumental settlement that will require Michigan State University to pay $500 million to victims of Larry Nassar’s sexual assault. $425 million will be distributed to the 332 claimants seeking damages from the University for its failure to act on persistent complaints about the doctor. The remaining $75 million will be set aside for two years in the event that more victims of Nassar’s abuse come forward. The settlement is believed to be the largest ever in a …

May 16, 2018 Concussions / NHL

Retired NHL Veteran Alleging Former Teams Knew of Brain Injuries

After making his NHL debut in 1989, Mike Peluso played nine professional seasons as a bruising left winger for five different NHL franchises. He won the Stanley Cup in 1995 as an enforcer on the New Jersey Devils’ “Crash Line”. After his retirement in 1998, the long-term effects of his role as an enforcer and the resulting brain injuries formed the basis of a workers’ compensation suit against his former teams. The most recent allegations, however, have implications outside of workers’ compensation context …

May 15, 2018 Sports Betting

Supreme Court Bets on Federalism in Sports Gambling Ruling

On Monday, May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a federal statute controlling the states’ ability to regulate sports gambling, destroying Nevada’s monopoly and opening the door for other states to get in on the multi-billion dollar industry. In its majority opinion, the court voted to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). Although PAPSA did not make sports gambling itself a federal crime, the Act made it unlawful for states to promote, license, …

May 8, 2018 NFL

Medical Marijuana Puts an NFL Player’s Career in Limbo

In 2013 NFL running back Mike James was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. During the opening drive of the game, James broke his ankle after an opposing player fell on his foot, causing his ankle to be twisted awkwardly. James was rolling on the ground in excoriating pain and was later carted off the field with a left ankle injury. Surgery, a metal rod, and medal wires were needed to repair his ankle, and after the surgery, James was …

May 7, 2018 Litigation

Former University of Louisville Employee Alleging Discrimination, Retaliation Following Termination

On April 25, 2018, former University of Louisville employee, Kimberly Maffet, filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming that a number of wrongs against her ultimately led to undue termination. In particular, she asserts that she was discriminated against for her disability, retaliated against for speaking out on alleged supervisory misconduct, and wrongfully discharged on the basis of both her disability and retaliation. Prior to her termination, Maffet served as the Associate Athletic Director for Human Resources, and had been there for about 10 years.…

May 4, 2018 NCAA

NCAA Hopeful to Turn Over New Leaf in Wake of Scandals

On April 25, 2018, an NCAA commission circulated a report it believes will address internal corruption, which, in recent times, has seemingly saturated the realm of collegiate sports. The commission is led by former secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice, who was chosen by NCAA president, Mark Emmert to lead the charge and pen the report. In doing so, Rice was tasked with recommending some well-needed changes which could remedy issues within the NCAA’s internal affairs and improve its relationships and interactions with collegiate athletes going …

May 3, 2018 Litigation / NFL

Former NFL Cheerleaders Offer to Settle Discrimination Suit for $1 and a Meeting

On April 24, 2018, two former NFL cheerleaders voiced their willingness to settle their discrimination dispute with the NFL on two conditions. The cheerleaders determined that they would both stop pursuing their claims in court if league commissioner, Roger Goodell, would sit down with them for a four-hour, good-faith meeting and pay just $1 to each. The meeting would involve plaintiffs Kristan Ware and Bailey Davis, as well as several other cheerleaders who were not involved in the suit, but who are connected to the …

May 2, 2018 Concussions

Former NFL Players Demand Certainty, Haste in Assessment of Fraud Allegations in $1 Billion Settlement

On April 23, 2018, counsel for former NFL football players involved in the $1 billion concussion settlement filed a motion opposing a Pennsylvania court’s ruling which allowed the NFL to conduct ex parte interviews with the doctors who treated the players. As we have previously covered, the release of settlements had been slowed due to potentially fraudulent claims, allegedly “clogging the system,” and delaying relief to former players who had legitimate injuries.

The motion filed by the Neurocognitive Football Lawyers (NCFL) sought to address …

May 1, 2018 Baseball / Litigation / MLB

MLB Players Move to Compel Discovery Yet Again in Al Jazeera Libel Suit

On April 20, 2018, MLB players Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard, plaintiffs in the Al Jazeera libel case, filed another motion to compel discovery in the ongoing battle. As we have previously reported, this is not the players’ first attempt at extracting additional information from defendant Al Jazeera amid discovery. The defamation suit stems from their production and airing of a 2015 documentary, called “The Dark Side,” which accused the MLB players of using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) while playing for the MLB.

The entire …

April 30, 2018 Litigation / WWE

Tattoo Artist Sues WWE and Take-Two Interactive for Copyright Infringement

Catherine Alexander, a tattoo artist for professional WWE wrestler Randy Orton, sued World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. claiming that several of the video games in the WWE 2K series illegally copied Alexander’s copyrighted tattoos.

Between 2003 and 2008, Alexander created several tattoos for Orton, including on his upper back, forearms, upper arms, and sleeve tattoos. On March 15, 2018, Alexander submitted applications to register copyrights on each of the tattoos. Back in 2009, WWE offered Alexander $450.00 for the rights to …

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