K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - February 2025

Sports:

NCAA

• The NCAA and a coalition of states led by Tennessee reached a settlement in their lawsuit against the NCAA, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Jan. 31. Tennessee settles its federal lawsuit with the NCAA over name, image and likeness rules – USA Today
• Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday seeking additional years of eligibility, claiming his two-year run at Division II Grand Valley State should not count because it unfairly limited his ability to make money from his name, image and likeness. Wisconsin CB Nyzier Fourqurean sues NCAA, seeks additional years of eligibility – Athletic

GOLF

• Sports entertainment chain Top Golf USA Inc. and two affiliates were hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court over allegations they improperly claimed a tip credit that lowered employees’ wages to below the statutory minimum. Topgolf Underpays Its Servers, Class Action Says – Law360

SOCCER

• Major League Soccer and the sport’s American governing body are seeking an early win in the North American Soccer League‘s $500 million lawsuit against the two, telling the New York federal judge overseeing the ongoing trial that the lower-level league has offered no evidence of a conspiracy to sabotage it. MLS, US Soccer Seek Midtrial Win In $500M Antitrust Case – Law360

NBA

• Former New York Knicks basketball player Charles Oakley, embroiled in litigation with Madison Square Garden entities since his forcible ejection from the storied arena in 2017, lost his bid to shield from disclosure emails between one of his attorneys and a pair of public relations strategists. Ex-Knick Star Oakley Must Produce Documents in MSG Ejection Case – Bloomberg

MLB

• So far, the San Diego Padres‘ offseason will be remembered for two things: missing out on Roki Sasaki and the start of a bareknuckle ownership fight. As it turns out, the two might be related. That ownership fight involving former Padres chairman Peter Seidler‘s widow, Sheel, and his brothers got uglier on Monday. In response to Sheel’s lawsuit alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud, Matt Seidler, one of the brothers, filed a response with its own set of allegations. Padres ownership fight: Seidler brothers call Peter’s widow Sheel ‘reckless’ for suing while team pursued Roki Sasaki – Yahoo Sports

Entertainment:

MUSIC

• Eminem‘s publisher hit a Ford dealership with a copyright infringement lawsuit in MI federal court, alleging the business used the rapper’s hit “Lose Yourself” on TikTok and other social-media advertisements for a limited edition Detroit Lions Ford F-150 pickup truck without permission or obtaining requisite IP licenses. An Eminem song, a local Ford dealer, a Lions truck — and now a lawsuit
• Spotify Technology SA won dismissal of a lawsuit alleging it made a change to its premium service that cheated songwriters out of royalties. Spotify Wins Lawsuit Over Bundling Royalties

FILM & TELEVISION

• Counsel for the widow of ER creator Michael Crichton urged a CA state judge not to toss allegations that Warner Bros. Discovery‘s new medical drama The Pitt is an unauthorized reboot, saying the now-streaming show’s development history proves it “absolutely derived” from Crichton’s hit. ‘The Pitt’ Legal Fight In Limbo As Judge Delays Decision
• The estate of one of Superman’s co-creators has filed a copyright lawsuit in a U.S. court against Warner Bros. Discovery ahead of the release of its new movie Superman, part of a planned reboot of the DC Comics superhero film franchise. Warner Bros hit with Superman copyright lawsuit ahead of new movie | Reuters

LAWSUITS OF THE RICH & FAMOUS

• An L.A. photographer is suing rapper and actor 50 Cent in Los Angeles Superior Court for assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging that the door of an SUV carrying the rapper was “forcefully opened” to intentionally strike him, leaving him with injuries. 50 Cent Sued For Assault By Photog Claiming Rapper’s SUV Hit Him
• Sean “Diddy” Combs forced at least three women to engage in commercial sex acts, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Thursday in a superseding indictment accusing the jailed hip-hop icon of using his business empire to sexually abuse and exploit women for 20 years. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs dangled victim over a balcony, prosecutors say as they add details to case | AP News
• Attorneys for Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter told a Houston federal court that personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee included a fictitious defendant in two lawsuits claiming the rapper tried to recruit former Buzbee clients to file malpractice claims. Jay-Z Blasts Tony Buzbee for Not Even Meeting With Client Before Signing on to Case
• A CA appellate court refused to disturb a lower court’s finding that reality television star Erika Girardi wasn’t aware that her former husband and his firm might have misappropriated settlement funds owed to co-counsel, agreeing that the “undisputed facts” back the lower court’s ruling. Erika Girardi Didn’t Know About Fraud, Appeals Court Says – Law360