Miami Marlins Attempt To Seize Former Season Ticket Holder's Building
The Miami Marlins organization has been largely praised for the way in which it hosted this year's All Star festivities; however, the franchise's lawsuits against former season ticket holders are shining a negative light on the organization. For instance, the Marlins are suing a former season ticket holder and trying to seize his $725,000 building in the process.
The former season ticket holder, Kenneth Sack, is one of at least nine former season ticket holders being sued by the Marlins for nonpayment. Contractually, the Marlins may have a good claim, but the theory is that professional sports organizations make so much money that going after nonpayment is not worth the negative press associated with same.
Detroit Pistons Added To Lawsuit Concerning Public Financing Of New Arena
Palace Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Detroit Pistons, has been added to a federal lawsuit concerning whether $34.5 million in public funding should be used for the team's new downtown arena. The plaintiffs are asking to stall public financing until a vote of Detroit residents is held. They have also involved the NBA in the case.
"Defendant Palace Sports has submitted a proposal to the Defendant NBA for approval without explaining the requirements set forth under Mich. Comp. Laws of the Revised School Code," says the complaint. "The Defendant NBA is being requested to approve an agreement that violates ... the Revised School Code."
Ohio State Slapped With Lawsuit Filed By Former Player
The Ohio State University has been sued by one of its former players and current FOX Sports analyst Chris Spielman, who alleges that the university is improperly using his publicity rights for commercial purposes. Interestingly, Spielman has indicated that if he prevails he will donate his share of the recovery back to the athletic department. He just wants the exploitation to come to an end.
"My hope is that this litigation will level the playing field for those affected players, and that they too can benefit from the dollars flowing into collegiate athletics," stated Spielman.
He is not actually upset with Ohio State using his publicity rights, unless the school is using it in conjunction with a third party sponsor.
FanDuel And DraftKings Merger Is Destroyed
After the months of waiting for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to provide its stance on the pending merger between FanDuel and DraftKings, followed by a negative review by the FTC and a lawsuit initiated to block the merger, the companies have decided to tear apart the agreements altogether.
The FTC's response was that "the parties' decision to abandon this transaction is a clear win for American consumers. For years, the vigorous competition between DraftKings and FanDuel has spurred innovation and favorable pricing. In brief, consumers benefited from the intense rivalry between the two leading players in this space. If this merger had been allowed to go through, those benefits would likely have been lost."
Houston Nutt Hits Ole Miss With Defamation Lawsuit
Ole Miss has been sued by its former head coach Houston Nutt, who claims that the university breached a 2011 severance agreement. He says that the school's current head football coach Hugh Freeze along with athletic director Ross Bjork and sports information director Kyle Campbell have initiated a smear campaign against him in an effort to shift blame for NCAA violations on Nutt.
Livan Hernandez Files For Bankruptcy
It is a problem that affects athletes of every sport. Financial stability. It is incredibly difficult for many athletes to sustain and expand on their earnings. Livan Hernandez is only the latest example.
Hernandez has filed for bankruptcy, estimating that his assets are below $50,000 and that his liabilities are between $500,000 and $1 million. He is estimated to have earned over $53 million throughout his fifteen year career in Major League Baseball.
Former USA Gymnastics Doctor Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges
Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar agreed to plead guilty to child pornography charges after being accused of sexually abusing over 100 of his patients. By pleading guilty to child pornography charges, Nassar should escape being further prosecuted for the more serious charge of sexually exploiting children.
"Dr. Nassar molested young women at the Olympics. He molested young women at national competitions. And our country is not going to charge him? The message that sends these women is: 'You don't matter,'" said attorney John Manly in response. Manly represents many of the accusers.
Update On Sentencing For Cuban Baseball Smuggling Case
Baseball agent Bartolo Hernandez and trainer Julio Estrada were convicted by a jury in March 2017 for smuggling Cuban baseball players in the U.S. Now, they at least know when to expect their respective prison sentences.
The sentences will be handled out in September, and Estrada faces a maximum of thirty-five years while Hernandez faces as much as fifteen years in prison.
Lawsuit Filed Against bet365 For Not Paying Out Winnings
Hillside LP, the copy that operates bet365, is being sued by an individual who says he is due £1 million from a winning bet on horses. The individual, Megan McCann, was nineteen years old when she placed the wager, which has yet to be cashed, because bet365 apparently does not think that it needs to be paid out.
Legal letters from bet365 state a position that McCann committed fraud and cheated by wagering on behalf of others when she placed bets. Apparently, the refusal was made after the company said that the money would be processed.
Legal Online Gambling Working Out Well For NJ
Online gambling revenue is making a real impact in the State of New Jersey, which is patiently waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case that may expand what is allowed to be wagered with a future opinion coming on the legality of a federal prohibition on sports betting. Online casinos in New Jersey have generated nearly $600 million in gross revenue since legalization and regulation in November 2013, per a new report from PlayNJ.
"At its current pace, New Jersey's online gambling industry will blast past the $700 million milestone before it celebrates its fourth birthday in November," said Steve Ruddock, lead analyst for PlayNJ. "Instead of listening to agenda-driven hypotheticals and what-ifs about online gaming, lawmakers considering online expansion in states such as Pennsylvania should focus on the sustained and prodigious growth occurring in New Jersey."
As of now, New Jersey's legal online casinos equate to the fifth-largest casino in Atlantic City in terms of gross revenue.
Darren Heitner the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C. and Sports Agent Blog. He authored the book, How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know.
