Major League Baseball Strikes Back Against Request from Fans for Deposition

On October 19, 2015, Major League Baseball and its co-defendants quickly responded to a letter written by baseball fans to Hon. Judge Scheindlin asking for permission to depose Commissioner Robert Manfred. While the fans in the antitrust lawsuit are seeking to depose the Commissioner in regards to MLB broadening the topics Mr. Manfred is to testify to at trial, the defendants responded with some rather convincing arguments to Judge Scheindlin in opposition.

First, MLB argues that the fans should not be able to depose the …

October 19, 2015 Antitrust / MLB

Fans Write Judge, Seek Commissioner’s Deposition

On October 14, 2015, a letter was written to Hon. Judge Scheindlin of the Southern District of New York asking for the opportunity to depose MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred. The letter, written by counsel representing a class of baseball fans, is in relation to an antitrust class action suit filed in 2012 against Major League Baseball and its broadcasting blackout rules. The fans are challenging the restrictions that MLB and the major cable and satellite companies are able to impose on local television broadcasting for …

October 8, 2015 Antitrust / MLB

Supreme Court Again Refuses to Hear Case Involving Antitrust Exemption for MLB

The U. S. Supreme Court will not be hearing the latest in a long-line of antitrust suits filed against Major League Baseball, as it was determined Monday that the city of San Jose’s petition for certiorari was denied. The city had filed the petition in response to a dismissal on appeal in the Ninth Circuit earlier in January of this year.

The antitrust lawsuit came about in 2013 after San Jose had unsuccessfully attempted to relocate the Oakland Athletics an hour South along the Californian …

October 7, 2015 MLB

MLB Moves To Dismiss Safety Net Class Action

On Friday, October 2, 2015, Major League Baseball filed a motion to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that the MLB has failed to protect fans from foul balls and bats.

The lawsuit was filed in July by Oakland Athletics season-ticket holder Gail Payne. Payne is seeking class-action status on behalf of all season ticket holders currently sitting in unprotected areas of MLB ballparks. The suit seeks no monetary compensation, but instead seeks an injunction requiring the MLB to install additional netting.

Major League Baseball …

September 30, 2015 Antitrust / MLB

MLB Continues Fight Against Fans in Antitrust Cable Lawsuit

In 2012, sports fans filed suit against the MLB, NHL, and the Yankees Sports & Entertainment Network (YES), among others, alleging that their TV “blackout” rules are illegal.

Sports leagues’ TV blackout rules have long frustrated sports fans. U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin provided an example of a typical situation for out-of-market sports fans in her 2015 opinion granting class action certification: A Yankees fan who lives in Iowa cannot purchase only the YES Network—as a fan living in New York can—he must …

September 28, 2015 MLB

Minor Leaguers to Appeal Dismissal of Antitrust Action Against MLB

Earlier this month, a federal judge in California granted Major League Baseball’s motion to dismiss the minor league players’ antitrust lawsuit. On Wednesday, the minor league players informed the court that they plan to appeal the decision.

The lawsuit—a class action filed in 2014—alleges that the MLB violated federal antitrust laws by suppressing the compensation of minor league players through its anti-trust exemption. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. dismissed the case pursuant to a January 2015 decision in which the 9^th Circuit upheld …

September 16, 2015 Antitrust / MLB

Minor Leaguers’ Antitrust Action Against MLB is Dismissed

On September 14, 2015, a federal judge in California granted Major League Baseball’s motion to dismiss the minor league players’ antitrust action. The class action claimed that the MLB violated federal antitrust law, alleging that the league suppressed the compensation of minor league players through its antitrust exemption. This historic exemption was established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1922.

District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr.’s decision dismissed the case pursuant to a January 2015 decision in which the 9th Circuit upheld the MLB’s antitrust …

September 15, 2015 MLB

Former Major League Baseball Umpire Loses Comp Appeal Seeking Continuing Benefits

Mark Hirschbeck, a former Major League Baseball umpire ultimately sidelined following a hip replacement and subsequent complications, lost his bid to receive continuing workers’ compensation benefits before the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department.

Hirschbeck retired part-way into the 2003 season when it was determined that he needed a hip replacement as a result of a 2002 injury. He received benefits through the New York workers’ compensation system and was subsequently deemed permanently partially disabled. Hirschbeck commenced a separate action alleging medical …

July 14, 2015 MLB

Nothing but Net: Lawsuit Seeks Safety Netting for MLB Ballparks

On Monday, July 13, Oakland Athletics season-ticket holder Gail Payne filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Major League Baseball to extend the safety netting at each of the ballparks. The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of all fans who purchase season tickets in currently unprotected areas of MLB ballparks. It seeks no monetary compensation and instead insists that the league install safety netting from foul pole to foul pole.

Among other arguments, the lawsuit provides examples of serious injuries that have occurred at …

June 22, 2015 MLB

Stealing Signs and More: Cardinals Owner Puts Blame for Data Breach on Support Staff

On Thursday, June 18, Bill DeWitt, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, reportedly stated that the team support staff participated in the breach of the Houston Astros’ internal database. Currently, investigators are looking at four or five people in the Cardinals’ office, and they have reason to believe that the unauthorized access occurred as early as 2012, a year earlier than was previously known.

As of now, the breach does not appear to be very sophisticated, as investigators believe that Cardinals personnel simply examined a …