Your All-Access Pass to the Latest Legal Developments Impacting the Business of Sports and Entertainment.
On July 2, 2018, in a joint motion, both parties in the NCAA $75 million concussion settlement asked the court to, once again, push back a final hearing in the $75 million settlement. The parties asked the court to push back the hearing for the same reasons that settlement has been delayed over the past several months, not all of the possible class members have been provided proper notice regarding the settlement. If the judge grants the motion, it will be the sixth time …
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On July 6, 2018, the University of Maryland Men’s Basketball team responded to Federal Grand Jury subpoenas requesting records in the NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case. Specifically, the Grand Jury asked Maryland for records regarding an unidentified former player, assistant coach Orlando “Bino” Ranson, and Silvio De Sousa, a recruit who ultimately attended the University of Kansas. After responding to the subpoenas, Maryland made a public statement that read, “[t]he University has cooperated and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal investigation.”
As we have …
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The NFL Hall of Fame recently sued a contractor and two subcontractors blaming them for poor filed conditions that led to the cancellation of the 2016 Hall of Fame Game. Each year, the NFL Hall of Fame Game holds an exhibition game on the same weekend that the NFL Football Hall of Fame inducts new members. This year, the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears will face off on August 2, 2018, but in 2016, the game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts was …
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As we have previously covered, former New York Yankees outfielder, Dustin Fowler, sued the Chicago White Sox in February 2018 after his first ever major league game ended in injury on the White Sox field. While chasing a foul ball, Fowler ran full speed into what would normally be a padded wall, but what was actually an unpadded metal electrical box that was unapparent to him prior to impact. Fowler sued the White Sox, claiming that the team negligently installed the box such …
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As we have reported, the NCAA’s concussion settlement continues to experience delays due to difficulties in reaching potential claimants. The initial suit was brought after a class of student athletes alleged that the NCAA did not adequately prevent or diagnose concussive injuries. The settlement has been valued at approximately $75 million, to include a $70 million fund for evaluating concussive injuries over the next 50 years.
On July 2, 2018, the NCAA and counsel for the class of plaintiffs filed jointly to postpone a …
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On June 29, 2018, in a letter, lawyers representing the NCAA asked the Ninth Circuit to adhere to the Seventh Circuit’ recent decision and not revive a proposed wage-and-hour class action lawsuit brought by former NCAA football player, Lamar Dawson. The lawyer’s asked the Ninth Circuit to adhere to the June 25, 2018 Seventh Circuit ruling that upheld the NCAA’s controversial “year-in-residence rule.” The rule mandates that if a student athlete transfers from a division one institution to another division one institution, they are …
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Three major sports leagues, among others, have recently banded together to put an end to a purportedly massive online circuit of sports merchandise counterfeiters using the leagues’ distinctive trademarks. On July 2, 2018, NBA Properties, Inc., MLB Advanced Media, L.P., NHL Enterprises, L.P., IMG College Licensing, LLC, and the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (Plaintiffs) filed suit against an undisclosed list of foreign defendants for alleged trademark infringement.
Plaintiffs contend that the online stores are selling their products by using their distinctive …
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In September 2017, the Sports and Entertainment Law Insider reported that Vijay Singh’s lawsuit against the PGA Tour was heading for trial. That conclusion became clearer as a
New York appellate court affirmed a decision to deny the PGA Tour’s motion for summary judgment on Thursday, June 21, 2018.
Singh was suspended by the PGA in 2013 for allegedly violating the tour’s anti-doping policy. Believing he was abiding by all rules, Singh discussed using deer-antler spray to aid pain in a Sports Illustrated article. Singh …
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On June 22, 2018, a referee’s report was returned regarding former Florida circuit court judge John Lakin and his use of baseball tickets that had been gifted to him by counsel while their motion was pending in his court.
While presiding over a personal injury case in 2015, Lakin returned a defense verdict. The next day, Lakin was offered Tampa Bay Rays tickets from plaintiff’s counsel, whose firm was known to regularly give such tickets out within the legal community. Lakin accepted. About a week …
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On Tuesday, June 26, 2018, the University of Arkansas’ Board of Trustees filed a suit seeking to stop a “massive network” of counterfeit websites selling fake or unregistered Razorback merchandise. According to a bail bond company near me, the suit was filed in U.S. District Court, in the Northern District of Illinois. Defendants are not named, but are described as retailers “residing in China” or “other foreign jurisdictions”, operating “without any authorizations or licenses”. These phony retailers are extremely successful, as the complaint alleges …
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