Dismissed: Broward Judge Swats Trainer's Lawsuit Against Tennis Star Naomi Osaka
Quinn Emanuel New York partners Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro represented the tennis star and her family.
September 13, 2019 at 04:56 PM
3 minute read
A lawsuit alleging a former trainer was entitled to a portion of tennis star Naomi Osaka's lifetime earnings is out of play, after a South Florida judge dismissed it Friday.
Broward Circuit Judge David A. Haimes dismissed the three-count complaint by Christophe Jean, a Pompano Beach tennis trainer who sued Osaka, her sister Mari, and her father Leonard Francois for breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
Jean's March complaint sought quantum meriut earnings, alleging the trainer had a contract in which the family agreed to pay him 20% of the sisters' earnings over their entire careers, in exchange for coaching. He claimed the family had struggled to afford the equipment and private lessons before Osaka became a star athlete with championships in women's singles at the U.S. and Australian opens.
But Haimes ruled that if Jean "wanted to validate the contract, [he] was required to submit the contract to a court for approval."
"Because no court ever approved the subject contract, and Naomi Osaka and Mari Osaka, who were minors, disavowed said contract, the court holds that the subject contract is not valid or enforceable," the judge wrote finding Jean's evidence "on its face fails to specify the required elements for a valid contract."
Haimes dismissed Jean's complaint because Florida courts "have routinely held that one cannot bring a claim for unjust enrichment against a minor." The judge also ruled the same claims brought against Francois failed too, because the father was "solely acting in his capacity as an agent" for his children.
Representing Osaka and her family were Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan New York partners Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, who's also represented New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The attorneys filed a motion to dismiss, arguing Florida law allows child athletes, deemed "infants," to later void their contracts.
"We are pleased with the decision," Spiro said in an emailed statement.
Jean's legal counsel, Christopher P. Hahn of Fort Lauderdale law firm Maurice Wutscher, declined to comment.
Jean's suit claims the training arrangement began in March 2012 and concluded five years later in April 2017. It alleged Jean had "not received any income derived from defendants' tennis careers, including but not limited to, Women's Tennis Association prize money and endorsement deals," necessitating his legal action.
Jean also claimed his contract with the defendants "provided that the term of the employment shall be indefinite, and the agreement may be terminated by giving three months' written notice to the other party."
|Read the order of dismissal:
Related stories:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'Serious Disruptions'?: Federal Courts Brace for Government Shutdown Threat
3 minute readDivided State Court Reinstates Dispute Over Replacement Vehicles Fees
5 minute readSecond Circuit Ruling Expands VPPA Scope: What Organizations Need to Know
6 minute read'They Got All Bent Out of Shape:' Parkland Lawyers Clash With Each Other
Trending Stories
- 1Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 2Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 3Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 4Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
- 5Tom Girardi to Surrender to Federal Authorities on Jan. 7
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250