A Texas state court judge has issued a judgment of $2.9 million against a team owner in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League (TCBL) for taking part in an unlawful league boycott that violated antitrust laws and caused the league to fold.
After a weeklong trial, jurors found that Fred Britton of Colleyville participated in the 2007 boycott with several other team owners. The TCBL reached out-of-court settlements with the other owners prior to the trial. The TCBL ceased operations in 2007.
In the May 2 verdict issued in the state’s 67th District Court, jurors awarded more than $850,000, plus attorneys’ fees, to the TCBL. The jury also found that Britton’s conduct in the group boycott was flagrant, causing the amount of damages to be tripled, bringing the total damage award to $2.9 million in a final judgment issued on June 6.
“Although we are extremely disappointed with the loss of the collegiate summer baseball league in the communities it benefited, we believe in the fairness of the jury system and greatly appreciate the work the jury did in reaching this fair verdict in the end,” said Gerald Haddock, president of The Haddock Foundation, the majority owner of the TCBL, a nonprofit established in 2003 “to advance amateur sports.”
Attorney Tim Cleveland of Weisbart Springer Hayes, who represented the TCBL at trial with firm co-founder Geoffrey D. Weisbart, said he was “pleased” with the verdict.
“The jury paid close attention to the evidence and agreed that the group boycott was illegal, flagrant and caused serious damages by destroying the league,” Cleveland said.
The controversy began nearly a decade ago when the team owners accused Haddock, who was general counsel of the Texas Rangers from 1989-98, of running TCBL in a way that would “maximize profits by charging high subscription fees.” This, they claimed, made it impossible for them to make money or break even.
They ultimately terminated their contract with the league, which led TCBL to file a lawsuit.
