Blalock v. LPGA case brief

Blalock v. LPGA case brief summary
359 F.Supp. 1260 (1973)

CASE SYNOPSIS

Plaintiff moved for partial summary judgment alleging that her one-year suspension by defendant Ladies Professional Golf Association was illegal under 15 U.S.C.S. § 1. Two defendants moved for summary judgment in the same action.

CASE FACTS
Plaintiff golf professional was suspended from the game for one year for allegedly illegally moving her ball during a tournament by defendants, the Ladies Professional Gold Association and its executive board. The board was made up of other professional women golfers who regularly competed against one another in tournament play. Plaintiff challenged the suspension alleging that it was illegal under the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C.S. § 1, because it constituted a group boycott and a per se restraint of trade. Plaintiff moved for partial summary judgment, and two defendants, neither voting members of the board, moved for summary judgment alleging that they did not vote, so they did not suspend plaintiff's license.

DISCUSSION

• The court granted partial summary judgment to plaintiff finding that the suspension violated 15 U.S.C.S. § 1. 
• It denied summary judgment to defendants holding that it was an issue of material fact whether they acquiesced in the suspension.

CONCLUSION

The court granted partial summary judgment to plaintiff professional golfer where it found that her one-year suspension by defendant Ladies Professional Golf Association was an illegal restraint on trade. The court denied summary judgment to two defendants where there were issues of material fact about their involvement.

Suggested Study Aid For Sports Law