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Court Dismisses State's Lawsuit Against NCAA for Penn State Sanctions
Author: Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
Date: June 12, 2013
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The lawsuit against NCAA by the state of Pennsylvania will not be permitted to move forward, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane said that the arguments surrounding the state’s lawsuit, which claimed the NCAA overstepped its bounds with sanctions against Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky scandal, “fail to advance the ball,” Reuters reports. Gov. Tom Corbett initially brought the suit against the league, arguing that the NCAA sanctions represent sports law and antitrust violations. He also said that the ramifications of the $60 million sanctions would result in economic hardship throughout the state, and impact third parties unrelated to the Sandusky scandal, including stadium workers, sports vendors, the hospitality industry, and shopkeepers who carry Penn State apparel.
Despite these arguments, Judge Kane called Corbett’s theories a “Hail Mary pass” in her 28-page ruling, and said the case warrants dismissal.
“[The lawsuit] raises serious questions about the indirect economic impact of NCAA sanctions on innocent parties,” Kane wrote in her ruling, according to Reuters. “These are important questions deserving of public debate, but they are not antitrust questions.”
Corbett’s office released a brief statement following the ruling, which said that he was disappointed with the court’s decision, and believes it will harm not only the university, but the citizens of Pennsylvania. However, the NCAA said it is “exceedingly pleased” with the ruling and hopes that the decision will put an end to this chapter and allow the community to move forward from pain and ramifications of the Sandusky scandal.
While the state lawsuit against the NCAA may be at an end, relatives of the late Joe Paterno, five Penn State trustees, and other university officials have brought their own suit against the league in an effort to have the sanctions overturned. The family and trustees argued that the NCAA is wrong to base its decision on the findings of a “flawed” independent report into the abuse scandal conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh.
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