MLBPA, FanDuel settle lawsuit over alleged improper use of name, image and likeness

[November 16, 2024]   NEW YORK (AP) — A commercial affiliate of the Major League Baseball Players Association settled a lawsuit with FanDuel on Friday over the alleged unauthorized use of the names and images of MLB players on its sports betting platform.

Workers at the FanDuel sports book at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J., prepare to take bets, July 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)

The settlement obtained by The Associated Press said MLB Players Inc. and FanDuel agreed to a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the suit can't be filed again.

The association and sportsbook “shall each bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with this matter,” according to court documents.

The MLBPA acknowledged the settlement on Friday but said it would have no further comment.

FanDuel was removed from the New York lawsuit that also included Underdog Sports. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Underdog Sports had also settled. A separate suit filed Sept. 16 against DraftKings Inc. and Bet365 Group Ltd. is pending in federal court in Philadelphia.

MLB Players Inc. also sued the Pittsburgh Pirates’ parent company and the convenience store chain Sheetz Inc. in August alleging unlicensed use of players’ names and images on social media. The Pirates said the following day that a verbal agreement had been reached to settle the suit, but no public documents have been filed reflecting a settlement.

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