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.

February 6, 2015 Contract / Golf

McIlroy Settles Management Dispute Out of Court

On Wednesday Morning, February 4, Rory McIlroy and his former management company Horizon Sports Management confirmed a settlement between the two parties, ending the multi-million dollar contract dispute that has dragged out for 2 years.

Back in 2013, Rory McIlroy brought this lawsuit against his former management company claiming the 2011 contract he agreed to was signed under undue influence, informality, and without legal advice, making it invalid and unenforceable. Horizon responded by claiming the golfer owes millions in unpaid fees and for breaching …

February 5, 2015 Golf / Litigation

PGA Caddies: Pay Us to be Human Billboards

Professional caddie Mike Hicks and 81 others filed a class-action against the PGA Tour in U.S. District Court in California, alleging the Tour’s misappropriation of their “likenesses and images in commercial activities.”

The caddies seek for a share of revenue flowing in from caddies wearing bibs that display sponsors’ logos, which amounts to $50 million per year. According to the suit, the caddies allege that they “are made to serve as billboards to advertise, at the direction of the PGA Tour, for some of the …

February 4, 2015 Concussions / NFL

Judge Says NFL Concussion Settlement Needs Changes

On Monday, February 2, Judge Anita Brody of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied the proposed class action settlement agreement reached between the NFL and thousands of former NFL players suing the league for concussion related injuries.

The lawsuit alleges that the NFL intentionally downplayed the risks of concussion-related injuries & their long-term effects on cognitive decline. In august of 2013, the NFL and over 4,500 players reached a settlement amounting to $765 million. The settlement has been a point of contention over the last …

February 4, 2015 Insurance

New Insurance Covers Celeb-Endorsed Products from Endorser’s Public Fall from Grace

American International Group, Inc. (AIG) announced a new insurance product called Celebrity Product RecallResponse. According to the company, it is designed to protect companies exposed to risks if a celebrity endorser suffers a public fall from grace or sudden death. It aims to particularly help companies that manufacture and sell products bearing a celebrity’s name or image.

The insurance is triggered by extensive media coverage of an endorser when the endorser allegedly or actually commits a criminal act or other offenses that results in …

February 2, 2015 Antitrust / NCAA

District Judge Recuses Herself from NCAA Antitrust Lawsuit

On Thursday, January 29, a federal court judge for the Southern District of Indiana recused herself at the plaintiffs’ request from an NCAA antitrust case as she currently serves as a Butler University trustee.

John Rock, a former Gardner-Webb football player who lost his scholarship, filed this lawsuit in 2012 attacking the NCAA’s scholarship cap and one-year scholarship policy. Rock seeks damages and a ruling from the court that requires all Division 1 universities to offer multiyear scholarships to stop the NCAA from “artificially reducing” …

February 1, 2015 Contract / Music

Lil Wayne Seeks $51 Million from Cash Money Label

On Wednesday, January 28, long-time rapper Lil Wayne filed a lawsuit in NY federal court claiming his label, Cash Money Records, owes him $51 million.

Lil Wayne signed with the label back in 1998 and has been happy with them until 4 years ago. In the past, Lil Wayne has looked to Cash Money head, Bryan “Birdman” Williams, as a type of father, however, the latest album delay seems to have finished off a deteriorating relationship. Wayne took to Twitter last month, feeling like …

January 31, 2015 NCAA

In-Depth Look: ex-UNC Athletes Sue for the Education They Were Denied

On Thursday, January 22, two more former student-athletes filed a lawsuit against both the University of North Carolina and the NCAA, claiming the institutions failed to safeguard and provide scholarship student-athletes with a meaningful education, directly attacking the ‘amateurism’ model the NCAA uses to defend its rules against student-athlete compensation.

The lawsuit filed is the second of its type stemming from the scandal exposed by the release of the Wainstein Report last October. The report, investigated and written by former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein, largely …

January 30, 2015 Music

American Idol Winner Phillip Phillips Seeks to Void Recording Contract

On January 22, American Idol’s season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips filed a petition to get out of the “oppressive” recording and management contract he signed with American Idol producer, 19 Entertainment.

Prior to winning the 11^th season of American Idol in May of 2012, musician Phillip Phillips signed a recording, management, and merchandising deal with 19 Entertainment that he now claims is to constricting. Phillips is seeking to void the agreements because he feels the company provides too much oversight, and he …

January 29, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Music

“Blurred Lines” Copyright Lawsuit Jury Barred from Listening to Original “Got To Give It Up”

Despite the alleged similarities between Robin Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines” and Marvin Gaye’s 1977 “Got To Give It Up,” the jury sitting in the copyright infringement suit will not hear the original recording of the song at all. On January 26, U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt in a pre-trial hearing ruled that the actual sound recording of the 1977 hit would be barred.

Judge Krondstadt ruled because Gaye’s performance in the original recording is not at issue, allowing interpretations of the musical …

Tom Petty Receives Writing Credit for “Stay With Me;” Sam Smith Claims it Coincidence

Over the weekend, it was reported that Grammy-nominated recording artist, Sam Smith, agreed last year to a settlement with Tom Petty over a copyright dispute with Smith’s song “Stay With Me.”

Sam Smith’s three time Grammy nominated hit single “Stay With Me” released last year, has drawn considerable attention for its catchy melody over the last year. It has also received considerable attention for that melody’s unmistakable similarity to Tom Petty’s 1989 hit “I Won’t Back Down.” The clear similarity raised between the songs raised …