Could one of the UFC Antitrust lawsuits be finished? According to a minute order issued on Tuesday, a hearing will be heard on October 22nd before Judge Richard Boulware.
The hearing will discuss the latest settlement proposal between the plaintiffs in the Cung Le lawsuit against Zuffa. The plaintiffs filed declarations from fighters in the class. Over 100 fighters wrote letters (sworn Declarations) to the Court in support of the $375 million settlement. The fighters’ overwhelming theme was the settlement money would help them now and it’s clear that even if they prevailed at trial Zuffa would appeal any judgment in favor of the fighters. The heart-wrenching part of the letters was the detailed issues that fighters have with money and their health. Despite many fighters getting a chance to fight in the UFC, most of the money earned during that time is gone and most are without health insurance to assist with many of their ailment due to years of fighting.
Attorneys for plaintiff included legal arguments in a brief in support of the settlement. The overall legal argument is that Courts generally defer to the “private consensual decision of the parties.” The central case cited by plaintiffs, Rodríguez v. W. Publ’g Corp, dealt with the disputed settlement of an antitrust class action lawsuit by BAR/BRI course takers who sued. The proposed settlement was just 30% ($49 million) of the alleged damages (notwithstanding treble damages) which were projected between $158 million to $168 million. The alleged error was that the Court evaluated the monetary settlement based only on an estimate of single damages.
Payout Perspective:
The hope for the plaintiffs here is that Judge Boulware agrees to the settlement and allows disbursement of funds to the fighters that need the money to take care of their basic needs. The lurking threat of a prolonged legal battle is of great concern for both fighters and attorneys. The fighters’ plea should help their case for a settlement. Notably, Zuffa has been silent on the filings of the fighter declarations and have not raised any support
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