Law360 reports that a New York federal judge has dismissed a proposed antitrust class action against Major League Baseball, Fanatics, and other sports leagues and organizations over exclusive trading card licenses.
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain this week granted motions to dismiss from Major League Baseball, Fanatics, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and others, finding that the customers who brought the suit had not specified an injury sufficient to establish standing.
“None of the named plaintiffs adequately alleges … facts demonstrating that they, individually and in particularized respects, have been or will imminently be injured in the manners alleged,” Judge Swain said.
The ruling follows the court’s March 2026 decision in Scaturo v. Fanatics, a similar suit brought by direct purchasers. There, the court also found that the plaintiffs had not adequately alleged an injury from the challenged trading card licenses. The Scaturo plaintiffs later voluntarily dismissed their case with prejudice in June.
Keker, Van Nest & Peters represents MLB in both cases. The teams include Adam Lauridsen, Cody S. Harris, Anjali Srinivasan, and Taylor Reeves. The case is Phillip Jones et al. v. Fanatics Inc. et al., case number 1:25-cv-05776, in the Southern District of New York.
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