Sports Litigation Alert Current Issue

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer A couple from Ohio attended a minor league baseball game. One was seriously injured. They sued the owner of the team, but due to the tiny print on the back of the ticket, coupled with over eight pages of legalese on the team’s website,...

By Professor Robert J Romano, JD, LLM, St. John’s University, Senior Writer In an opinion filed by the Supreme Court for the State of Illinois on March 8, 2024, the Court upheld the Appellate Court’s finding that the defendants in the matter of M.U., a minor child, by...

By Gary Chester, Senior Writer The case of a Wisconsin high school wrestler who was sanctioned for unsportsmanlike conduct raised the familiar issue of whether statewide interscholastic athletic associations engage in state action when they enforce a rule. The general...

By Michael S. Carroll, PhD On January 31, 2024, US District Judge Michael Mills for the Northern District of Mississippi dismissed the lawsuit filed by former football player DeSanto Rollins against the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and head football coach Lane...

By Brian Guerinot and Kristin L. Smith, of Fisher & Phillips LLP On March 27, 2024, a federal appeals court ruled that Title IX does not apply to a private school based purely on its nonprofit status, reversing a lower court’s bombshell decision that put the...

By Joseph M. Ricco, IV The standstill between the Florida High School Athletic Association and the evolving landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) appears to be concluding. This comes as the result of a new proposal by the FHSAA, which would grant high school...

By Christopher Deubert, Senior Writer Florida and California are seen as polar opposites when it comes to policy and lawmaking. However, there is at least one thing they seem to agree on – minor league baseball players should be exempt from their states’ minimum wage,...

By Bennett McNamara & Joshua D. Winneker Most sports fans are aware of the allegations made against the University of Michigan football team for stealing their opponents’ signs during this past college football season.  This story captivated the sports world...

By Patrick George Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took a lot of heat when his team exited the playoffs, prematurely, over the winter. But that heat may have been nothing compared to the heat he felt when a letter arrived on January 16, 2024 from the attorneys...

Consistently recognized as a leader in the sports law field by colleagues, clients, and industry experts, Irwin Kishner of Herrick Feinstein has architected some of the largest and most innovative deals in the world of professional sports. Specifically, he has acted...

Zedan Racing Stables Inc. (Zedan) has announced the filing of a lawsuit in Kentucky Circuit Court against Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI), the company that operates the Kentucky Derby. The lawsuit seeks a temporary injunction that would enjoin the ban of Zedan, and...

(Editor’s Note: The following was shared by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime) Despite vast advances in gender equality within the sporting sector, it still remains a male-dominated arena. From athletes to criminal justice authorities, the involvement of women in...

(Editor’s Note: What follows is a weeklong plan for athletic directors to educate their staff and athletes about NIL. This article is excerpted from a guide written by Mark Koesterer, Founder of The Players NIL. To purchase the guide, visit...

The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center) has announced process changes aimed at increasing efficiency, information sharing, and trauma-sensitivity. After spending the past eight months conducting a top-to-bottom review of its processes and seeking feedback from...

The Sports and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) presented a slate of prestigious annual awards at its recent conference in Baltimore. Among them: The Bernard “Patrick” Maloy Student Research Award was presented to Scott White, a doctoral student at Florida State...

Hackney Publications has announced the inclusion of Church Church Hittle + Antrim (CCHA) to its “100 Law Firms with Sports Law Practices You Need to Know About.” In addition, the company announced that Paia LaPalombara, who joined the firm’s Sports...

The Vancouver Canucks has hired Catherine Chow as its new chief legal officer. Chow was previously vice president of legal and general counsel for Keg Restaurants Ltd., a trendy Canadian restaurant franchise. Months before the Chow announcement, the NHL team retained...

Sidley represented Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) in a strategic partnership with the District of Columbia to Modernize Capital One Arena, home to the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards. The US$515 million District investment also...