JPML Asked to Create MDL Docket for NCAA Athlete Compensation Lawsuits

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Plaintiffs in lawsuits accusing the National Collegiate Athletic Association and their athletic conference members of barring college athletes from receiving market-value compensation are seeking creation of an MDL docket for the cases.

In a Jan. 16 motion filed before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the movants argue that consolidation of the two putative class action antitrust lawsuits in the District of Colorado and the Northern District of California is appropriate because they “arise out of a common nucleus of operative facts and contain substantially similar factual allegations and legal claims.”

Plaintiffs in the actions allege …