L-R: David Marroso, Tim Heafner and Aly Bailey of O'Melveny & Myers. Courtesy photosHow Uncertainty in College Athletics Compensation Could Drive Lawsuits in 2025
"There remains continued uncertainty around NIL agreements in particular—with states, the NCAA and various universities each passing different laws, rules and regulations to govern such deals," said Tim Heafner, a partner at O'Melveny & Myers.
December 12, 2024 at 01:14 PM
6 minute read
What You Need to Know
- In 2021, the NCAA voted to allow student-athletes to benefit from name, image and likeness opportunities.
- Since then, litigation in the college athletics space has taken different forms but has continued to escalate.
- An O'Melveny & Myers attorney identified three college athletics litigation areas to monitor in 2025: labor, tortious interference cases and conference realignment.
In June 2021, the National Collegiate Athletics Association adopted a landmark new policy that allowed college athletes to benefit from name, image and likeness opportunities. The rule change drastically transformed the economic model of university athletics, turned college students into bankable sports stars and opened the doors for multimillion-dollar brand endorsement deals—and a flood of potential lawsuits.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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