A lawsuit filed by the PGA Tour alleges that the PGA Tour overcharged for tickets at five events held in 2023 and 2024, but a circuit court judge in Palm Beach County ( Fla. ) dismissed it last Friday.
The PGA Tour’s motion was denied by Judge Luis Delgado, who claimed Larry Klayman, an attorney, had overcharged his audience tickets by 10 % or 34 % in a violation of the Florida Antitrust and Unfair Trade Practice Act. The five activities were the 2023 Honda Classic, the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, the 2023 People Championship, the 2023 Valspar Championship and the 2024 Genesis Open.
Delgado noted that since the incident occurred in California, the 2024 Genesis Open is inapplicable, and just reported injuries that occur in Florida are subject to Florida law. As to the four other PGA Tour events, Klayman’s tickets cost a total of$ 510. Based on the 10 % to 34 % figure, the combined overcharge was between$ 51 and$ 174.
According to Delgado, the issue with potential problems rising to only$ 174 is that a court must determine subject matter jurisdiction if the state law mandates problems exceeding$ 30, 000. This type of control refers to a court’s authority to review a particular issue. The judge stated that Klayman’s case is then brought only by Klayman and therefore has a much smaller price than it did when it first started out as a hypothetical class action, which at least in theory may have resulted in substantial damages.
The judge also rejected Klayman’s argument for subject matter jurisdiction based on his demand for equitable ( injunctive ) relief. If Klayman made a criminal state, Delgado may have recognized jurisdiction even if Klayman had not met the$ 30,000 threshold.
He did not, the prosecutor held.
Klayman demands an injunction to prevent the PGA Tour from ( allegedly ) continuing to violate Florida’s antitrust law and engaging in “unlawful conduct”. Delgado wrote the antitrust law demands “are officially deficient”, because they are” very vague to be binding”.
Additionally, the prosecutor determined that Klayman cannot perform the actions he requested. Klayman accuses the PGA Tour of engaging in unconstitutional behavior, including with DP World Tour, OWGR, and the Golf Channel. But Klayman is no, the prosecutor explained, “entitled to an order against the Tour with respect to the conduct of people”. The determine added the jury is “without control” to issue an order against non-parties to the match.
Delgado also wrote he ca n’t mandate so-called” competitive” pricing for tickets, concessions and other items purchased at PGA Tour events. The judge added that he cannot, under any circumstances, compel the PGA Tour to fine or suspend golfers from participating in LIV Golf competitions or to cooperate with OWGR in terms of place calculation techniques.
In this issue the PGA Tour is represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &, Flom LLP, with colleagues Anthony Dreyer, Karen Hoffman Lent and Matthew Martino playing important roles. Sidley Austin’s Kyle Tanzer and Larry Silverman were the PGA Tour’s co-counsel.
Klayman has filed a notice of elegance. In a statement shared with the internet, Klayman’s advocacy group, Freedom Watch, strongly criticized Delgado’s decision. According to Freedom Watch, Delgado allowed” the circumstance to be turned into a largely key celebrity chamber, with little to no open access.” Flexibility Watch also asserts that the case was filed in the open interest and that it was intended to let golf enthusiasts and the consuming public know about the alleged monopoly practices of the PGA Tour and its director in collaboration with Tiger Woods and people.
Klayman, according to the speech, plans to sue PGA Tour director Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour over” their having improperly induced the termination” of his situation.
This article was written by Scott Soshnick.
( The 10th paragraph of this story has the Sidley Austin attorneys ‘ roles updated. )