Entertainment & Sports Law

8th Circuit Allows NFL Lockout, Overturning Lower Court Injunction

A federal appeals court is allowing the lockout by the National Football League in a ruling that overturns a preliminary injunction. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the injunction could not be granted under the Norris-LaGuardia Act, which restricts the power of courts to…

Jul 11, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Ex OSU Football Coach Jim Tressel Won’t Be Fined $250K, Will Be Allowed to Retire

Backing off on earlier statements that it would impose a $250,000 fine on former football coach Jim Tressel for violating National College Athletic Association rules, officials at Ohio State University have agreed to let him retire instead of resign, his lawyer, Rex Elliott, announced today. And they have also agreed,…

Jul 8, 2011 7:21 PM CDT

Why Roger Clemens’ Defense Lawyer Is Greeted with Shouts of ‘Screw You, Rusty’

The lead lawyer who will be defending Roger Clemens on charges of lying about steroid use has a record of victories in high-profile cases. Jury selection begins today in Clemens’ trial in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reports. The baseball great is accused of lying to a congressional committee when…

Jul 6, 2011 4:53 PM CDT

Man Gets Protective Order for Self and Puggle During Family Estate Dispute re Autographed Baseballs

During his lifetime, Chicago White Sox investor Larry Pogofsky was the proud owner of a collection of autographed baseballs worth as much as $25,000 each. His ambition was to collect one signed by every Hall of Famer, reports the Chicago Tribune. Now, after his death at age 64, the collection…

Jul 5, 2011 5:40 PM CDT

NBA Star Sues to Keep Ex-Fiancee Off of ‘Basketball Wives’ Reality Show

Orlando Magic basketball player Gilbert Arenas filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday to try to prevent his ex-fiancée from appearing in the upcoming reality series Basketball Wives: LA. In the suit, Arenas accuses Laura Govan and Shed Media US of trademark infringement, false advertising and misappropriation of…

Jun 27, 2011 7:13 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide Whether FCC Ban on Nudity, Expletives Violates First Amendment

The U.S. Supreme Court will revisit the Federal Communications Commission’s indecency ban in two cases accepted for review today. The Supreme Court didn’t reach the First Amendment issue when it ruled in 2009 that an FCC policy switch barring so-called fleeting expletives was not arbitrary or capricious. Since then, the…

Jun 27, 2011 5:12 PM CDT

Dodgers File for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

The Los Angeles Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy following a battle for ownership rights in the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt. The Dodgers sought protection under Chapter 11, which will allow the team to continue operations during the reorganization, CNNMoney reports. The Delaware filing says the team has between…

Jun 27, 2011 1:57 PM CDT

After 20 Years in Practice, Ohio Lawyer Starts New Gig as Louisiana College Athletics Director

Darrell Payne has no background in athletics administration. But the 20-year Cincinnati legal practitioner was a college basketball star player and has worked as a sports agent, the Town Talk reported. And also to thank for his new appointment as the athletics director at Louisiana College are his personal qualities.…

Jun 23, 2011 7:29 PM CDT

DLA Piper Ordered to Turn Over MLB Material to Roger Clemens Despite Asserted Work Product Privilege

Despite an asserted work product privilege, DLA Piper has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over to famed pitcher Roger Clemens some of its investigative material from a probe about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, reports Bloomberg. Law firm notes and memos about statements…

Jun 23, 2011 5:18 PM CDT

Are the Dallas Mavericks Mismanaged? Motion Uses Celebration Photo to Refute the Notion

Lawyers for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are seeking to dismiss a suit alleging mismanagement of the team with a photo illustrating its NBA win. The suit was filed by prior team owner Hillwood Investment Properties, a company controlled by H. Ross Perot Jr. that still has a 5 percent…

Jun 23, 2011 1:02 PM CDT

Bud Selig Nixes Dodgers Owners’ Divorce Pact, Says TV Money Can’t Be Used to Pay Couple’s Lawyers

Following earlier word that the battling owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers had achieved a settlement of their contentious divorce comes news that Major League Baseball’s commissioner has, in effect, nixed it. By voiding a television deal on which the divorce pact was predicated, Commissioner Bud Selig put Frank and…

Jun 21, 2011 12:22 AM CDT

Arbitrator Controls $100M Dispute Over Hit Charlie Sheen TV Show; Will Ruling Cut Likely Settlement?

Actor Charlie Sheen may have to arbitrate his $100 million contract dispute with Warner Bros. Television over being axed as the star of Two and a Half Men, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today. Under a clause in Sheen’s contract for television’s No. 1 comedy, ruled Los Angeles…

Jun 15, 2011 9:19 PM CDT

Criminal Defense Lawyer Whose Tip Led to OSU Football Coach’s Resignation Faces Related Ethics Case

A criminal defense attorney whose emailed tip about potential college football player misconduct led to the resignation of Ohio State’s coach is now in hot water himself, according to the Associated Press and the Columbus Dispatch. In emailing coach Jim Tressel in April about possible NCAA violations by his players,…

Jun 13, 2011 6:44 PM CDT

Tenn. Outlaws Subscribers to Services Like Netflix, Rhapsody from Sharing Their Logins

Lawmakers in Tennessee have passed a measure that makes it illegal for members of entertainment subscription services such as Netflix and Rhapsody to share their logins and passwords with others. The purpose of the law is to go after hackers who sell these services’ logins and passwords in bulk, but…

Jun 3, 2011 8:29 PM CDT

Judge Rules ‘Hangover II’ May Be Released, Despite Copyright Dispute over Tattoo

Updated: The show must go on, according to a federal judge ruling in a copyright dispute involving a tattoo. The Hangover: Part II was allowed to open this week after U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry refused to issue an injunction barring its release, according to The Wrap and Hollywood, Esq.…

May 24, 2011 3:44 PM CDT