Fanatics Scores Final Win in Sports Card Class-Action Lawsuit
A class-action antitrust lawsuit against Fanatics and major sports leagues was dismissed with prejudice, ending the case.Summary
A class-action lawsuit accusing Fanatics and major sports leagues of antitrust violations in the trading-card market was dismissed with prejudice in the Southern District of New York on June 2, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain. The plaintiffs, led by collector Robert Scaturo, had voluntarily moved to dismiss the case, which the judge granted, meaning the suit cannot be refiled. Fanatics hailed the ruling as validation, stating the lawsuit was baseless because it accused the company of raising prices on cards it does not produce. The decision echoes themes from Panini’s separate antitrust case against Fanatics, which remains pending before the same judge. While the Scaturo dismissal removes one consumer class-action threat, the broader litigation between Fanatics and Panini continues to loom over the sports-card industry.
(Source：Heavy.)