U.S. Open Umpires and Linesman Are Independent Contractors, Court Rules

By Todd H. Lebowitz, of Baker & Hostetler LLP   In an opinion that disappointingly failed to take advantage of countless pun opportunities, a federal judge in New York otherwise got it right, ruling that the United States Tennis Association properly classified U.S. Open tennis officials as independent contractors, not employees. Meyer v. United States Tennis Ass’n, No. 1:11-cv-6268 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 11, 2014).   The lawsuit, filed during match play in the quarterfinals of the 2011 U.S.