Second Lawsuit Filed in St. Louis Stadium Fight

There’s a new update to a story out of St. Louis we covered back in April.

Late last month, a second lawsuit was filed in Cole County, Missouri seeking a declaratory judgment and writ of prohibition that Governor Jay Nixon and his appointed Task Force’s proposed funding of their $985 million stadium in St. Louis is illegal. The suit is brought by six state legislators and on behalf of Missouri Taxpayers and names Governor Nixon and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) …

May 8, 2015 Boxing

The Combat Sport that Cannot Slip its Own Punches (Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday we touched on the legal and regulatory controversies in the aftermath of the Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather fight. Today’s post deals with a potential DOJ investigation and lawsuit against a leading manager/advisor in the boxing world.

The Al Haymon Situation

Sparsely reported during week prior to the “Fight of the Century” was that the Association of Boxing Commissions (the ABC), a non-profit organization that strives to provide a more uniform regulatory framework for boxing and mixed martial arts in North America, called upon the …

May 7, 2015 Boxing

The Combat Sport that Cannot Slip its Own Punches (Part 1 of 2)

In What Should Be a Year of Celebration for Professional Boxing, There is Instead Endless Legal and Regulatory Scrutiny of Many of Its Biggest Developments.

A few months ago, 2015 looked as if it would be a watershed year for professional boxing in the United States. Undefeated heavyweight contender Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder won a portion of the heavyweight championship and emerged as the first serious American threat in a long time to fellow champion Wladimir Klitschko. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. and Manny “Pac …

April 17, 2015 NFL

Future of NFL in St. Louis Appears to be in Court’s Hands

In March, the NFL announced the league was accelerating its efforts to move an NFL franchise to the Los Angeles market. Stan Kroenke, the St. Louis Ram’s owner, has a $1.86 billion stadium complex planned in Inglewood, California. It is clear that time is of the essence, and Jay Nixon’s two-man stadium task force of Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz need to get their proposed financing for the $985 million stadium development in downtown St. Louis finalized and before the NFL owners’ committee as soon …

April 8, 2015 NFL

Former NFL Kicker Sues the Buccaneers

Lawrence Tynes, two-time Super Bowl winner and the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker has commenced a lawsuit for $20 million. Tynes has alleged that the dirty and unsafe conditions at the Buccaneers facility led him to contract MRSA. This infection ultimately ended his NFL career.

Tynes signed with the Buccaneers in 2013, but never played a game. He claims that during training camp he and three other players, including Carl Nicks, contracted MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). He further claims that that Buccaneers leadership did not …

April 6, 2015 NFL

Innocent Until Proven Guilty? Not in the Court of Public Opinion: The Double Standard facing the Dallas Cowboys

Gregory Hardy was born on July 28, 1988. He was the drafted with the 179^th pick by the Carolina Panthers. He has 204 tackles, 34.0 sacks, and has forced 7 fumbles in his NFL career. Hardy was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013. On the field Hardy is dominant. Off the field is a different story.

On May 13, 2014, Hardy was arrested on charges of domestic violence in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina. On July 15, 2014, after a bench trial, Judge Rebecca …

March 31, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation / Music / Trademark / TV

Rise and Fall of an Empire (Distribution, Inc.)

In the pilot episode of Fox’s smash-hit series Empire, Cookie Lyon, explaining why, after her release from jail, she’s returning to her husband Lucious Lyon’s fictional record label, Empire Entertainment, says simply: “I’m here to get what’s mine.” This is, of course, in reference to the formerly-jailed matriarch having taken the rap for Lucious to the tune of 17 years behind bars for drug-running while he built his music “empire.” Coincidentally, it also may sum up the thinking over the last couple of months …

March 25, 2015 Litigation

Stolen German Painting Found in NYC

James Weldon, a resident of East 73rd Street, inherited Adraen Coorte’s 1705 painting, “Still Life with Chestnuts.” This painting is now the basis of a Summons and Complaint filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by Dr. Konrad Meissner. Dr. Meissner, a resident of Polling, Germany, claims that his father was a well-known art dealer in Dresden, Germany and was in possession of the painting before it illegally seized by the German “Stasi.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, East Germany had established “fictitious fax obligations” by the …

February 27, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation / Music / Rights / Trademark

“The Blueprint” for an Infringement?

A recently-filed case in a California federal court has Jay-Z and his promoters at Live Nation wondering whether they’ll continue to reap the benefits of the 1999 hit single Big Pimpin’ or whether they’ll be “spending G’s” to clean up a potential infringement posed by a sample looped throughout one of S. Carter’s most famous tracks. Last week, an Egyptian plaintiff named Osama Ahmed Fahmy sued Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., seeking unspecified actual damages and costs, alleging Live Nation’s continued “use” of Big Pimpin’ in …

February 1, 2015 Boxing / Doping

Punches After the Bell

No “Silva” Lining for Diaz as Both Fail Drug Tests: The return of UFC mainstay Anderson (The Spider) Silva took an unfortunate turn following his January 31, 2015 decision victory over Nick Diaz when it was revealed that he tested positive for Drostanolone and Androstane metabolites in a pre-fight drug test. Unfortunately for Diaz, the positive test will likely be of little benefit to him, as he himself tested positive for marijuana following a post-fight examination. The double positive, following an exceptionally high profile …