|
 One caddie told Reuters he had lost the stomach to appeal the
ruling, while the president of the caddies' association told Golf
Channel he was ready to put the matter behind him.
The lawsuit, filed just over a year ago in U.S. federal court in
California, said the PGA Tour threatened to prevent the caddies from
working at tournaments organized and promoted by the organization if
they refused to wear the bibs.
The lawsuit also claimed that the PGA Tour reaps more than $50
million annually from the endorsements, but the caddies receive no
compensation.
However United States District Judge Vince Chhabria on Tuesday
dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, saying: "The caddies' overall
complaint about poor treatment by the Tour has merit, but this
federal lawsuit about bibs does not."
The caddies, who were seeking a permanent injunction against the
practice of wearing bibs, help their players select clubs and read
the greens during tournaments.
Mike Hicks, the lead plaintiff, has been a caddie for nearly 35
years and has worked for leading golfers such as Greg Norman, Payne
Stewart, Steve Stricker and Justin Leonard.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 168 caddies in the U.S. who wear or
have worn bibs with the logos of the PGA Tour's sponsors, claimed
the Tour interfered with the caddies' ability to compete in the
market, alleged antitrust violations, breach of contract and
violations of California state law.
Now that the judge has dismissed the lawsuit, each of the 168
caddies must decide individually whether to appeal.
The caddies had a previously-scheduled meeting planned at the PGA
Tour stop in Pebble Beach, California on Wednesday. The lawsuit
ruling immediately went to the top of the unofficial agenda.
[to top of second column] |
"To be honest, I don't think I really want to continue," said one
caddie, who asked not to be named. "The system has spoken."
He added that the lawsuit had been mentally draining and that he
wanted to get back to focusing on his job.
James Edmondson, president of the Association of Professional Tour
Caddies, sounded a similar theme.
"I respect the court's decision and do not plan to go any further
with it," he told GolfChannel.com.
The PGA Tour said in a statement that they were "pleased by the
court's decision" in their favor.
"We look forward to putting this matter behind us and moving forward
in a positive direction with the caddies."
In his ruling, judge Chhabria said: "Caddies have been required to
wear the bibs for decades. So caddies know, when they enter the
profession, that wearing a bib during tournaments is part of the
job. In other words, the bib is the primary part of a caddie's
uniform."
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew
Both)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
