LATEST INSIGHTS

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 …

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Litigation / TV

Former NFL Defensive Tackle Accused of Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Brad Culpepper, a former tackle for multiple National Football League teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears, has recently found himself in hot water over a reality-TV show appearance which an insurance carrier claims is evidence of fraud.

Culpepper, who is now a personal-injury attorney in the State of Florida, took part in the “Survivor” reality series in 2013 engaging in physically-demanding tasks.  However, he also reportedly settled a workers’ compensation claim for $175,000 based on a rating of an 89% …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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NFL

Years Later, Testing Reveals Mosi Tatupu Had CTE

More than four years after his 2010 death, the family of Mosi Tatupu learned that the former New England Patriots running back suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).  CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head injuries such as those sustained by football players.

Tatupu was a fan favorite among Patriots fans during his thirteen season career with the team. It’s no surprise either; he was loved by teammates, was always smiling and developed his own fan section – “Mosi’s Mooses.”  Yet, his …

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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” …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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