Thursday, November 7, 2013

Brown v. Pro Football, Inc. case brief

Brown v. Pro Football, Inc. case brief summary
518 U.S. 231 (1996)


CASE SYNOPSIS
Petitioners, a group of professional football players, sought review of a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which held that respondents, members of the National Football League, were not in violation of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C.S. § 1, where they implemented unilateral changes in petitioners' contracts, after the parties had bargained to an impasse.

CASE FACTS
A collective bargaining agreement between respondents, a group of football clubs, and the labor union representing the players expired. Respondents came up with a new contract and presented it to petitioners, a group of professional football players and their union representatives. When the negotiations finally reached an impasse, respondents unilaterally implemented the proposed changes to the players' contract. A group of players, petitioners, brought an antitrust suit against respondents on the basis that their employer's unilateral decision to limit their wages violated the Sherman Act.

DISCUSSION
  • On appeal, the majority interpreted the labor laws as waiving antitrust liability for restraints on competition imposed through the collective bargaining process, so long as such restraints operated in a labor market characterized by collective bargaining. 
  • The court affirmed the finding of immunity and held that respondents were entitled to implement such unilateral changes after bargaining to an impasse.

CONCLUSION

Petitioners, a group of professional football players, were denied relief on review. The court affirmed the finding of the appellate court, which held that respondents, members of the National Football League, were not in violation of the Sherman Act, where they implemented unilateral changes in petitioners' contracts after the parties had bargained to an impasse.

Suggested Study Aid For Sports Law

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