The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the appeal of a wage-fixing antitrust action filed by minor league players against Major League Baseball and its teams, Law360 reported. Keker, Van Nest & Peters attorneys Adam Lauridsen, Tom Gorman, and Ian Kanig represent MLB and the league's 30 teams.
The players had appealed an opinion by the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year that found the players had failed to object to a federal magistrate judge’s recommendation to dismiss the case. In that opinion, the First Circuit declined to move on to the merits of the case, effectively upholding MLB’s long-standing exemption from antitrust scrutiny.
In their Supreme Court petition, the players contended that filing an objection in the lower court would have been futile, as courts are “duty bound” to apply the exemption until the high court overturns it.
Read more at Law360. (subscription required)