Author Archives: Kevin Maher

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Grinding Gears: Celebrity Sues Over Likeness

War, what is it good for?

Video games these days are becoming more life-like than ever. With advanced graphics and new technology, studios are able to push the boundaries on making games similar to live action movies. However, one former football player / professional wrestler has a gear to grind with a certain character in a popular franchise. Lenwood Hamilton is claiming that the character “Cole Train” in the Gears of War video game is based off his own likeness, down to the physical traits and personality. He has filed suit against Microsoft and Epic Games, the games’ creators, and is seeking unspecified damages. Read More

Sent Off: Soccer Manager Sees Red

“That’s poor defending.”

While many people thought soccer in the United States would never make headlines, the coach of a US-based club has proved that thought false. Piotr Nowak, former manager of the MLS’s Philadelphia Union, had filed a lawsuit against the team for wrongful termination. Nowak claims he was never given a fair shake as manager and was unfairly let go from his position. Union CEO Nick Sakiewic begs to differ, and cited the team’s poor performance, lackluster direction, and a number of questionable management decisions as grounds for the firing. With the lawsuit being moved to a new judge, the case files have been released to the public. This has painted Nowak in a terrible light, as there are now details of certain coaching techniques and acts which violate MLS rules and regulations. Nowak had been seeking damages exceeding $115,000.

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“Gamer vs Cartoon” Lawsuit Gets Erased

Game over, please insert coin

Sometimes the court room can become a little cartoonish, but a recent case regarding a real man’s likeness to a TV show character has reached a new level. Billy Mitchell, the man famous for holding the world record for the video game Donkey Kong, recently filed a lawsuit against Cartoon Network. One of the network’s shows, aptly named “Regular Show”, featured a character who looks very similar to Mitchell, who appears as a floating head with video game skills. The character, named “GBF”, has long brown hair and big beard, very similar to the plaintiff. Mitchell came to fame in 2007 alongside the documentary “King of Kong”, which tells the story of how he broke the world record for Donkey Kong, and also details his prowess in other arcade games like Pac-Man. A judge in New Jersey recently decided that the lawsuit itself was without merit, and decided to pull the plug.

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Fantasy Sports Headed Back to Reality

Even the Wild West did not stay wild forever

Those who have been dreaming of making money in daily fantasy sports may be in for a rude awakening. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the 2 major players in the industry, DraftKings and FanDuel, questioning the self-regulatory methods of their contests. The recent scandal has shades of insider trading, where employees from each company would take the internal information (including player rankings, strategy, etc) and submit “teams” to the opposing company. Both companies have been advertising heavily with popular sports leagues like the NFL and MLB, leading many to believe they are very financially successful. The latest lawsuit was filed by a man from Watertown, MA (DraftKings is based in Boston, while FanDuel is based in New York City). Read More

Brady vs. NFL Lawsuit Full of Hot Air

Ball so hard

The saga of deflated footballs and a certain A-list quarterback have not left headlines since the winter of 2014. Now, months later, we are all following the twists and turns of the story, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s attempt to keep Tom Brady off the field in September. This seemed to be the final straw for Brady and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft to fire back at Goodell and the NFL, opting for a New York courtroom over the sunny, green fields of Foxborough, MA. There are several undertones here, including the NFL Players Association’s potential second thoughts about granting Goodell his current power, plus the Commissioner’s personal relationship with Kraft. How did letting air out of a football lead to a corporate showdown and legal dispute, centered around a high profile athlete? Read more