Category: Lawsuits
Analysis: No Winners in the Lawsuit Involving Bridgeview and the Chicago Fire
Hopefully you've had the chance to check out my Athletic piece on the lawsuit that was filed by a Chicago Fire supporter against the Village of Bridgeview and Chicago Fire President/GM Nelson Rodriguez, among others. It's a wild ride to be sure. I had the chance to speak with James Vlahakis, the attorney who filed ...
My Latest for The Athletic: A Hot Time in Bridgeview
Check out my latest story for The Athletic: A Chicago Fire supporter has sued the Village of Bridgeview and a number of individuals including Chicago Fire President Nelson Rodriguez, alleging conspiracy, malicious prosecution and violation of civil rights related to an incident which occurred in May of 2018. It's a pretty wild story, so take ...
SavedTheCrew: What Now?
So, the Crew have been saved. Well, not quite, but it's looking good. There's actually a lot of work left to do, and plenty of unanswered questions. From not knowing when this deal will be finalized (and whether there will be a new stadium), to the background behind the attempt to move the team in ...
Appeals Court Hands David Beckham, MLS Big Win in Lawsuit Over Overtown Site
David Beckham may not want to build his soccer stadium in Overtown, but the Miami 3rd District Court of Appeals won't stand in his way, as they've rejected the appeal of Bruce Matheson the local Miami man who filed suit over the sale of the Overtown land to Beckham's group. Matheson lost the suit (hard), ...
Schedules and Standards: “Parallel Paths” Likely Creating Headache for MLS in 2019
One of the outstanding questions in the SaveTheCrew saga (aside from the question of whether they'll be saved) revolves around how MLS will handle the 2019 season with the fate of the team not resolved. PSV has been processing ticket payments from Crew fans, in anticipation of playing at Mapfre in 2019, though the fine print ...
Austin Initiative Aims to Rein in Council, Expand Disclosures (And an Update on the PSV Lease)
It's been a very slow period for news both out of Columbus and Austin as it pertains to where the Columbus Crew will end up in 2019 (and beyond). It's been a bit surprising; if you read my "Save These Dates" story, you'll have seen that we've already blown through a couple of deadlines with ...
Discovery in NASL v. USSF/MLS Anti-Trust Case Moving Forward
With a discovery cutoff of April 30, 2019, the parties in the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust case are starting to prepare to obtain the necessary documents to bring this matter closer to a conclusion. To be sure, we're still likely ten or so months out from a trial (or a summary judgment motion) in this ...
Save These Dates
With the oral arguments for the PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss in the rear-view mirror now, we can look forward as the Modell lawsuit continues on its track towards a potential trial in March, 2019 (although that is not a firm date as of yet). However, there are number of upcoming dates which could impact this ...
Two Stadium Sites, Two Lawsuits, Two Appeals: David Beckham’s Quest for MLS in Miami
It's been a while since we checked in with David Beckham and his interminable goal of finally getting his MLS franchise online in time for a 2020 start. Most recently everyone has been debating the release of his team name and logo (for the record: like the badge; the name not so much). Being who ...
ESQ2CLB: So, What Did I Think?
Become a Patron: Note: I covered some of the following in my Periscope after the hearing. Well. I'm home back in Seattle after something of a whirlwind four-day trip to Ohio to check out Columbus and cover the Motion to Dismiss hearing. I was hoping to do more of a daily diary, but Tuesday ...
PSV/MLS v. Columbus/Ohio Motion to Dismiss Oral Arguments [Live Blog]
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Got the best seat in the house: One that is close to an outlet. As always when I'm doing a live blog, excuse the typos, ...
Preview (and Required Reading) in Advance of PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss Oral Arguments
We're almost at that time: The oral arguments for the PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss are set for September 4 at 2:30 p.m. local time. Each side will have 45 minutes to present their arguments. As the moving party, the defendants (PSV/MLS) will likely go first, followed by the plaintiffs. Within that 45 minutes, the parties ...
Why Alexi Lalas’ USL2Columbus Proposal Won’t be a Thing
Alexi Lalas, former MLS player/GM/President-turned soccer pundit, tossed a couple of logs onto the SaveTheCrew fire, opining in a commentary during halftime of the game between D.C. United and New York Red Bulls, that Anthony Precourt and MLS should "rip off the bandaid" and make the move to Austin official. Further, he suggested that as ...
NASL Files Motion to Compel USSF and MLS to Provide Discovery; Court Sets Hearing for August 27
You didn't forget there were other lawsuits in U.S. Soccer besides SaveTheCrew, did you? With the motion to dismiss the Modell lawsuit set for next month, and the MLS2ATX proposal resolved (for now), I'm afforded an opportunity to check in with the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust lawsuit. When last we left off, NASL was attempting to ...
Breaking: 90 day Toll Extended; Oral Argument for Motion to Dismiss Scheduled
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: We've got a big procedural update. The 90-day toll has been extended and the Oral Argument for the Motion to Dismiss has been schedule. First, Judge ...
SaveTheCrew: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Or, Will Time Keep on Slipping)
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Right now everyone is focused on the council meeting in Austin this Thursday, where we should (presumably) find out if MLS2ATX will become, from their end, ...
Austin Versus Columbus: Or, Why Can’t We Have Both?
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Don Garber dropped a bit of a mini-bombshell last night, revealing some interesting information about MLS' "ongoing" talks with the Crew. Anyone who reads this site already knew ...
David Beckham’s Road to Paradise Hits a Speed Bump
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: You didn't think it was smooth-sailing from here, did you? David Beckham's prospective Miami franchise appeared to clear a huge hurdle last week, when the Miami ...
PSV, MLS File Their Initial Witness Lists for Trial
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you’d like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: I mentioned on Twitter that this may be a slow week for news in #SaveTheCrew v. PSV/MLS. Well, I'm filing a motion of my own to ...
SaveTheCrew: A Quick Review of the Protective Order
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you’d like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: With the appeal of the May 8th Order in the Modell lawsuit behind us, things are moving forward towards trial. While the parties continue to explore ...
