Janice Dickinson, former supermodel and judge on “America’s Next Top Model,” told Entertainment Tonight (ET) in a November 2014 interview that Bill Cosby drugged and raped her in 1982. Cosby’s ex-attorney Marty Singer immediately fired back, calling Dickinson’s story “a fabricated lie” that is a “complete contradiction” from her earlier accounts of interactions with Cosby. The result of the back and forth is a defamation lawsuit brought by Dickinson against Cosby in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The presiding judge— Judge Debre Katz Weintraub …
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.
Dolphins Put in Bid For up to $90M In Tax Rebates Under Florida’s Sports Development Program
The Miami Dolphins along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Daytona Speedway, have filed applications under Florida’s Sports Development Program to recover millions each year in state tax revenue. The program, established in 2014, allows the state to distribute up to $13 million of tax revenue each year to assist in the renovation of qualified professional sports facilities in the state of Florida. In order to receive disbursements under the program, professional sports organizations must submit a proposal to the Florida Department of …
Continue ReadingThe Uphill Fight to Protect The Washington Redskins’ Trademark Continues
On Friday October 30, 2015, the Washington Redskins initiated its appellate argument against the federal judgment upholding the cancellation of the franchise’s trademarks. The appeal to the Fourth Circuit marks the continuation of a two-decade long fight between the NFL franchise and a group of Native Americans who believe that the team name is a disparaging term, in violation of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act.
In June of 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) cancelled six trademarks under the Washington Redskins name …
Continue ReadingHere We Go Again: DraftKings, FanDuel Face Another Lawsuit
Since early-October, federal lawsuits have piled atop of daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry leaders DraftKings, Inc. and FanDuel, Inc. In total, there are now over 25 federal actions filed against the two companies. Most of the cases stem from allegations claiming the pair engaged in illegal gambling, unfair business practices, and insider trading. On November 2, 2015, however, a patent infringement case was filed in Texas against both DraftKings and FanDuel, in addition to Fox Sports.
The plaintiff in the patent cases is Virtual …
Continue ReadingFox Sports Latest to be Hit with Patent Infringement Suit
Virtual Gaming Technologies LLC filed a complaint against Fox Sports in the Eastern District of Texas this past Monday, November 2, 2015, alleging patent infringements in regards to the technologies that make fantasy sports over the Internet a reality. The lawsuit is one more in a list of similar allegations filed by the technology company against other fantasy websites, including DraftKings and FanDuel.
The complaint alleges that Fox Sports is in violation of two issued patents for the use of and operation of its …
Continue ReadingFormer Wrestler Argues Against WWE Forum Shopping in Concussion Suit
On Friday, October 30, 2015, retired professional wrestler “Billy Jack” Haynes filed a supplemental brief in a Connecticut federal courthouse in opposition to a motion filed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) concerning which law should be applied in litigation. Haynes originally brought suit in Oregon against the WWE to recover for concussion-related injuries he sustained while wrestling for the company and which have continued to affect him well into retirement. Haynes’ suit was consolidated with a number of similar actions brought by former wrestlers against …
Continue ReadingGarcon v. FanDuel: What is FanDuel’s Liability and Why Wasn’t DraftKings Invited?
On Friday October 30, 2015, NFL wide receiver Pierre Garcon filed a putative class action against FanDuel, Inc., an industry leader in daily fantasy sports gambling (DFS). The lawsuit follows the recent avalanche of class actions filed against FanDuel and DraftKings, Inc. (another DFS industry giant). Unlike those cases, however, which pursue claims of insider trading and unfair business practices, Garcon’s action alleges a misappropriation of publicity rights.
Garcon’s complaint alleges that FanDuel misappropriated the publicity rights of the NFL’s offensive skill-positioned players (i.e. …
Continue ReadingObjector’s Attorneys Continue to Get Pummeled with Motions for Sanctions
On Wednesday October 28, 2015, a group of former-collegiate athletes filed a motion for sanctions against the attorneys representing objecting class members in their own lawsuit. This comes as the latest in a long and well-publicized class action suit brought by the former athletes against the NCAA and Electronic Arts, Inc., for violations relating to the use of their likeness and images in video games.
Filed with the Ninth Circuit, this motion for sanctions comes in response to what the plaintiffs believe is nothing more …
Continue ReadingPierre Garcon v. FanDuel, Inc.: The Latest Class Action in Daily Fantasy Sports
The legal issues for the daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry continue to mount following the putative class action filed by Pierre Garcon, a NFL wide receiver for the Washington Redskins. After news of the DFS scandal broke in late-September 2015, in which industry leaders FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. were accused of insider trading, nearly a dozen federal class actions have been filed against the two companies.
Garcon’s action, which was filed on October 30, 2015, names only FanDuel, Inc. as a defendant. The complaint …
Continue ReadingFanDuel CEO Calls for Legislative Regulations of Fantasy Sports
On Thursday October 29, 2015, in a letter to website users, FanDuel, Inc. CEO Nigel Eccles called for “formal” government regulation to govern daily fantasy sports (DFS).
Eccles’ letter comes following a month-long bombardment of class action lawsuits and negative press coverage against the two DFS industry leaders, FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. The legality of the companies’ business operations has been placed in question; namely, whether DraftKings and FanDuel engaged in insider trading, unfair practices, and illegal gambling operations is at issue. The two …
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