Sports & Entertainment Law
Berg & Androphy lawyers have obtained landmark decisions — often as lead trial counsel — for their sports clients, and have successfully represented their entertainment and sports media clients in high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation. We offer our clients decades of experience in the sports & entertainment industry with personalized attention and an aggressive trial strategy when needed. Significant representations include:
- CBS as lead counsel in obtaining dismissal with prejudice of putative nationwide right-to-publicity and antitrust class action regarding names, images and likenesses of student-athletes in college football and basketball broadcasts.
- ESPN and certain Walt Disney companies in obtaining dismissal of a lawsuit brought by Echostar, alleging contractual breaches pertaining to high-definition broadcast rights.
- ESPN in obtaining summary judgment in its favor in a lawsuit brought by boxing promoter Don King, which sought $2.5 billion in damages for alleged defamation and invasion of privacy.
- NFL players as lead counsel in a historic dispute concerning the players’ challenge to the antitrust player restrictions in the NFL, resulting in a plaintiff verdict and $200 million damage settlement to the players.
- Buffalo Broadcasting and 600 other television stations nationwide as class counsel in an antitrust action that resulted in a landmark decision on music licensing rights in television and radio.
- North American Soccer League and its teams in successfully challenging an NFL regulation that prohibited NFL team owners from owning other professional sports teams, which resulted in a plaintiff verdict that was upheld on appeal.
- NBA players unions in an antitrust class action that resulted in establishing free agency rights for NBA players.