K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - September 2025 #4

Sports:

• Attorneys general from 27 states and the U.S. Territory of Guam have signed onto amicus briefs to support the defense in a forthcoming Supreme Court case to protect women’s sports from transgender athlete inclusion. SCOTUS defense in cases to protect women’s sports gets support from 27 state attorneys general – Fox News

NCAA

• Tatuo Martinson, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas football player, won a preliminary injunction against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after it attempted to count his junior college seasons toward his Division I eligibility. UNLV Football Player Wins Eligibility Fight with NCAA – Sports Litigation Alert
• A final approval hearing for a nearly $50 million settlement in a class action seeking to compensate former college baseball “volunteer” coaches for their unpaid work took place on Monday. Final Approval Hearing Held in Class Action Settlement of Almost $50M for Volunteer Baseball Coaches – Law.com
• While much attention this summer was paid to the NCAA’s antitrust litigation regarding NIL compensation and the House settlement, other antitrust challenges to NCAA regulations are progressing across the country. In Brantmeier v. NCAA, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina certified an injunctive class and a damages class of student-athletes in their challenge to NCAA regulations specific to tennis that require them to forfeit prize money. Federal Judge Certifies Classes in Tennis Players’ NCAA Antitrust Suit – National Law Review

MLB

• Major League Baseball‘s mobile ticketing app has had systemic security breaches resulting in the disappearance or theft of game tickets throughout the season, with MLB failing to fully acknowledge the problem and leaving fans “in the lurch,” according to a proposed class action in New York federal court. MLB App Breaches Led To Lost, Stolen Tickets, Fan Claims – Law360
• The Chicago Cubs have collected the biometric data of millions of fans attending baseball games at Wrigley Field, deploying a security system with facial recognition technology without getting the written, informed consent from visitors required under Illinois law, according to a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court Monday. Chicago Cubs Hit With Biometric Privacy Suit – Law360

Entertainment:

LAWSUITS OF THE RICH & FAMOUS

• Emmy Award-winning comedian and former TV host Ellen DeGeneres allegedly ran through a stop sign and T-boned another vehicle two years ago in Southern California, causing the plaintiff serious injuries, according to a civil suit in state court. Ellen DeGeneres Sued After Allegedly Causing Car Crash With Injuries – Parade
• Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter told an AL federal court that allowing a woman to remain anonymous in his defamation lawsuit against her and lawyer Tony Buzbee would be “contrary to principles of justice and fairness” given that she continues to claim she was sexually assaulted by him and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at a party when she was 13. Jay-Z’s Secret Accuser Exposed? Rapper Demands ‘Jane Doe’ Unmasked After Shocking Recantation Meanwhile, a federal judge in TX has remanded back to state court a lawsuit accusing Quinn Emanuel of trying to destroy Buzbee’s reputation in retaliation. Garcia v. Croft et al This case is REMANDED to the 127th Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas, where it was assigned case number 2024-87692., No. 4:2025cv00353 – Document 46 (S.D. Tex. 2025) :: Justia
• The 2^nd Circuit declined to revive George Santos’ claims against Jimmy Kimmel, ABC and Disney over video clips the late night host tricked the now-imprisoned former congressman into making, agreeing the fair use doctrine bars the copyright suit. Second Circuit rejects George Santos’ copyright suit against Jimmy Kimmel | Courthouse News Service

MUSIC

• A group of record labels has settled a copyright suit that accused the Internet Archive of infringing thousands of songs after making them available for free as part of the “Great 78 Project,” according to a joint notice from the parties filed in CA federal court. Internet Archive & Labels Settle Lawsuit Over Digitizing Old Records
• Meta Platforms has moved to dismiss a copyright lawsuit from Eminem‘s music publishers that accuses the major social media company of infringing the rapper’s songs on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, saying “the complaint is long on rhetoric” but “remarkably short on specifics.” Microsoft Word – Meta – DRAFT Motion to Dismiss (aap 9-18-25 pre-final)(1751121688.28).docx
• The estate of pop icon Prince has asked a CA federal judge to dismiss a trademark complaint from the late musician’s co-star in the movie Purple Rain over the name “Apollonia,” saying the court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over a dispute that’s also playing out at the TTAB. Prince estate claim they never threatened Apollonia and lawsuit trademark must be dropped

MOVIES & TELEVISION

• A CA judge granted final approval of Disney’s $43.25 million class action settlement with over 15,000 female midlevel managers over allegations the entertainment giant paid them less than their male colleagues. Disney settles suit over women’s pay for $43 million
• Companies affiliated with Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal teamed up to sue Chinese artificial company MiniMax, alleging the company steals their intellectual property to produce “an endless supply of infringing images and videos” featuring popular characters like Spider-Man, Darth Vader and Superman. Disney, Universal, Warner Bros Discovery sue China’s MiniMax for copyright infringement | Reuters
• Paramount Global told a federal court it should allow fraud and copyright infringement counterclaims to advance against a writer whose lawsuit alleges he wrote parts of the blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick. Paramount Says Court Can’t Scrap ‘Top Gun’ Claims Against Writer
• RG Media Properties sued Los Angeles horror filmmaker Blumhouse Productions in CA federal court alleging that the production company’s 2025 film Drop infringes the copyright for the script Table 18, which the suit says tells the same tale of a first date that devolves into a violent hostage situation. ‘Drop’ Maker Blumhouse Accused Of Ripping Off Horror Script – Law360