A federal district court in Washington state has decided to grant the plaintiffs motion to transfer the discovery dispute it has with Matt Hume and OneFC to Las Vegas. The magistrate handling the Zuffa lawsuit discovery issues will determine the outcome of plaintiffs’ motion to compel Hume’s deposition and documents from OneFC.
Similar to a federal court in LA transferring Bellator’s dispute with the plaintiffs and the UFC in a discovery dispute earlier this year, the federal court judge determined that the complexity of the case and the familiarity with the subject matter were defining reasons why the case should be transferred to Nevada. Hume, who resides in Washington state, filed a motion to quash a subpoena and objected to document requests by the plaintiffs in the UFC lawsuit.
In addition to being the trainer for Demetrious Johnson, he is an officer within OneFC. The plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit filed against Zuffa had requested documents from OneFC and Hume’s deposition as it relates to their litigation. Hume had provided a written declaration in which he stated that “One Championship is not a minor league or feeder league for the UFC” and it “competes with Zuffa to sign professional MMA fighters.”
Plaintiffs wanted documents supporting Hume’s statement and also to depose him. Hume’s Washington state attorneys objected to the deposition and document requests citing that it was an attempt to make an end around from requesting documents from the Singapore-based company. It also argued that Hume did not have access to the documents requested. In response, plaintiffs filed a motion to compel and requested attorney fees in excess of $21,000 dollars.
Payout Perspective:
Once again, a federal court decides not to intervene in a nonparty discovery dispute despite the fact that one of the residents in its jurisdiction is seeking relief. While I understand the court’s reasons to punt the motion to Nevada, it appears that this type of hand off is oppressive for the non-party resident. However, unlike the Bellator case, Hume did avail himself to the lawsuit by submitting a declaration. It is within the right of the plaintiffs to seek Hume out for his deposition as well as documents related to the statements. With the case moving to Nevada, we shall see how the magistrate determines the dispute.
Leave a Reply