K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup (December 24, 2024)

Sports:

• NASCAR wants to press pause on a court order that stops it from blocking teams that have asserted antitrust claims against the league from its races, telling the judge who handed down the preliminary injunction that it thinks the Fourth Circuit will be on its side. NASCAR Wants Jordan Team’s Win Paused For Appeal – Law360

NCAA

• Vanderbilt football quarterback Diego Pavia‘s filing for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA has been granted, according to a court ruling released Wednesday. The temporary injunction gives him an extra year of eligibility. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia granted preliminary injunction, is eligible to play in 2025 – USA TODAY

NFL

• The Washington Commanders‘ return to the District of Columbia went from a strong possibility early this week to being in a perilous spot Thursday after a key provision in a spending bill before Congress was excluded. RFK Stadium site provision dropped from federal bill in blow to Commanders – ESPN
• Amid the nationwide uptick in claims of suspicious drone activity, the NFL has again called on Congress to ban unauthorized drones from “critical infrastructure and mass gatherings such as major sporting events,” i.e. from NFL games specifically. NFL Calls Again on Congress to Ban Unauthorized Drones From Stadiums – The Wrap
• A former operations manager at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, claims he was illegally fired because of panic attacks he has suffered since he was badly burned in a fire while working for the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots. Ex-NFL Stadium Manager Sues For Disability Discrimination – Law360

GOLF

• The PGA Tour, flush with a $1.5 billion investment from private equity and still negotiating with the Saudi-backers of LIV Golf as a minority investor, is hiring a CEO for the first time who will work alongside Commissioner Jay Monahan. PGA Tour to hire CEO to run expanding business. Jay Monahan stays on as commissioner – AP
  

Entertainment:

MUSIC

• UMG Recordings agreed to end its suit alleging investment company OpenDeal Inc. was infringing on UMG’s “Republic” trademarks. UMG settles ‘Republic’ trademark lawsuit against investment platform | Reuters

FILM & TELEVISION

• Walt Disney Co. has agreed to shell out $233 million to end a five-year-long CA state court case covering more than 51,000 workers accusing the company of failing to follow Anaheim’s $15 minimum wage ordinance. Disney agrees to pay $233M to settle wage theft class action lawsuit | KTLA
• An entertainment producer couldn’t convince a federal appeals panel to revive her copyright suit alleging Lions Gate Entertainment copied her stage play for one of its TV shows. Lions Gate Beats Appeal in Producer’s Copyright Suit Over Show
• New Yorkers working as actors and musicians will have new legal protections against the use of AI to imitate their appearances and voices starting in January, under legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed into law. New York Limits AI-Powered Knockoffs of Actor Images and Voices

LAWSUITS OF THE RICH & FAMOUS

• After months of rumored behind-the-scenes drama, Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation in a civil-rights complaint, alleging that he and his team designed a “plan” to “destroy” her reputation. All the Details on Blake Lively’s Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni
• Counsel for Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter told a NY federal judge that new media reports reveal “glaring inconsistencies” in an anonymous woman’s rape allegations against the rapper and fellow music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, suggesting that her attorney Tony Buzbee deserves sanctions for failing to vet the claims. Jay-Z Condemns Rape Of Minor Suit As “Sham” That Should Be Dismissed; Plaintiff’s Lawyer Playing Fast & Loose With Facts & Rules, Rapper Says Adding to the messiness, Buzbee accused Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation and law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP of recruiting and paying former clients to bring malpractice claims. Tony Buzbee Accuses Jay-Z’s Roc Nation of Trying to Flip His Clients – Business Insider
• Francis Ford Coppola‘s attorney urged a CA judge not to toss the famed director’s libel suit against Variety magazine over a story it published alleging the director sexually harassed actresses on the set of Megalopolis, and to consider a declaration from Eric Jager, the author of The Last Duel, supporting his client’s case. Variety urges dismissal of Francis Ford Coppola’s libel suit over story of troubled ‘Megalopolis’ set | Courthouse News Service
• Clifford “TI” Harris has filed a defamation suit against a former friend in CA federal court, alleging that her “unhinged obsession” with the rapper and attempts to stay relevant have led to a raft of “baseless” accusations published on the defendant’s social media accounts, including false sex trafficking claims. T.I. Sues Sabrina Peterson For Defamation Over Abuse Allegations