K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup (May 7, 2024)

Sports:

• A North Carolina state lawmaker has filed a bill to ban prop bets on college sports in the state, following the call of the NCAA president and similar bans in other states. Durham Democratic Rep. Marcia Morey, a former U.S. Olympic swimmer and NCAA enforcement staffer, was a fierce opponent of the legalization of mobile sports betting statewide. Mobile sports betting launched in March and bettors in North Carolina wagered nearly $660 million in the first weeks. Bill aims to ban prop bets on college sports in North Carolina – WRAL News
• Kentucky Derby gamblers who claimed they had winning bets after officials disqualified the race’s lead horse cannot sue Churchill Downs or the horse’s Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the Sixth Circuit ruled, saying courts can’t “turn a losing wager into a winning one.” The three-judge panel affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss claims by 19 bettors who argued that the payouts from the race should have been altered when, roughly nine months after the race was finished, officials disqualified winner Medina Spirit and issued a new order on who placed first. 6th Circ. Drops Bettors’ Appeal Over Doped Derby Horse – Law360
• The Second Circuit upheld a jury verdict that found fashion brand Thom Browne’s shoes and apparel did not rip off Adidas’ iconic three-stripe logo, saying Friday that a Manhattan federal judge did not make a mistake with the instructions he provided jurors. A three-judge panel said in a summary order that U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff’s instructions correctly reflected Adidas’ arguments to the jurors, who deliberated for less than two hours before rejecting the sportswear giant’s trademark infringement claims last year. 2nd Circ. Upholds Adidas TM Trial Loss To Thom Browne – Law360

NFL

• RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., is now officially coming down, and that step could become an accelerant to the Commanders’ long-running efforts to develop a new stadium. The National Park Service said Thursday that the 62-year-old stadium, last used in 2019, can be demolished without negative environmental effects. A study undertaken by the NPS found that the stadium is “in a state of disrepair,” but that demolition would have “no significant impact” on the “natural, cultural, and human environment.” A timetable for the actual work to be done will be set as the NPS issues a permit to D.C. RFK’s Demolition Could Fast-Track Commanders’ Return to D.C. – Front Office Sports

NCAA

• The NCAA and major college conferences are considering a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could cost them billions in damages and force schools to share athletics-related revenue with their athletes. But even if college sports leaders create a new, more professional model for collegiate athletics they likely would need help from Congress if athletes are not classified as employees. Settlement could cost NCAA nearly $3 billion; plan to pay athletes would need federal protection – AP

MLB

• The Atlanta Braves denied that it refused to hire a deaf man for a top job at the organization because of his disability and said a lawsuit against the team was filed too late to be valid, according to a filing in Georgia federal court. The team urged the court to reject Clyde McKinney Jr.’s allegations that it illegally focused on the potential costs of accommodating his deafness rather than his qualifications when it turned down his candidacy for information technology director, in an answer to his complaint filed Wednesday. Atlanta Braves Deny Deaf Job Candidate’s Discrimination Suit – Law360
• The baseball players’ association asked a federal court to confirm an arbitrator’s decision denying an attempt by a baseball agent at Bad Bunny’s Rimas Sports firm to block the agent’s decertification by the union. In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the Major League Baseball Players Association asked that a federal judge issue an order to confirm what the union said was a decision by arbitrator Michael Gottesman to deny a request for a temporary restraining order requested by William Arroyo of Rimas Sports and Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, two executives of the company. MLB players’ union asks court to confirm arbitration decision against Bad Bunny firm – AP

Entertainment:

MUSIC

• Universal Music Group NV has reached a deal with TikTok that will bring its artists’ songs back to the social media platform, ending a months-long standoff that saw performers including Drake and Rihanna pulled from the network. Universal Music Group and TikTok Announce New Licensing Agreement – UMG
• Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a NY court to trim one of the multiple sexual assault suits he is facing, calling plaintiff Joi Dickerson-Neal’s allegations of a 1991 rape “false, offensive and salacious.” Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs claims no legal basis for sex assault lawsuit (ktvq.com)
• An NY federal judge denied a former model’s request to amend her dismissed lawsuit brought under the city’s Gender Motivated Violence Protection Law accusing Steven Tyler of assaulting her in 1975, ruling that the law is not retroactive and the statute of limitations to pursue her claims would have expired decades ago. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler wins dismissal for good of sexual assault lawsuit | Reuters

FILM & TELEVISION

• Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider filed a defamation lawsuit in L.A. against Warner Brothers Discovery Inc. and others associated with the recent Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries, which he says falsely states or implies he is a child sexual predator. Ex-Nickelodeon producer Schneider sues ‘Quiet on Set’ makers for defamation and sex abuse implications | AP News
• An NY judge said that disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein will be retried sometime after September, following last week’s decision by the state’s highest court to overturn his rape conviction due to the admission of overly broad evidence at trial. Prosecutors seek retrial for Harvey Weinstein after rape conviction was tossed | AP News
• An NJ federal judge tossed with prejudice a suit filed by former Survivor contestant Gervase Peterson alleging that Netflix‘s show King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch infringes on a teaser video he produced, saying the alleged protectable ideas are generic reality show elements. Ken Goldin and Netflix Defeat ‘King of Collectibles’ Copyright Case (yahoo.com)
• Convicted killer “Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker” can’t get in on a defamation suit involving a Netflix documentary about the murderer’s life, a TX federal judge ruled, saying that his claims don’t have a sufficient basis to warrant intervention in the lawsuit. ‘Hatchet-Wielding’ Killer Can’t Join Netflix Suit, Judge Rules – Law360

MEANWHILE, IN HOLLYWOOD…

Vanderpump Rules cast members Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix ask CA court to toss revenge porn and invasion of privacy claims brought by former cast member Rachel Leviss following the show’s viral “Scandoval” cheating scandal, saying Leviss’ claims are false and “an abuse of the legal process.” Vanderpump Rules Ariana Madix Asks Court To Dismiss Rachel “Raquel” Leviss’ Lawsuit For This Reason (screenrant.com)