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The PGA Tour-LIV Golf legal fight has been going on for a while now. It all started when the Saudi-backed series' players sued the American circuit after they suspended them over defection. The antitrust lawsuit blew up when LIV Golf joined in as a plaintiff. Following this, the PGA Tour fired back against LIV by countersuing them in a US District Court.
The traditional American circuit filed a 72-page case in the Northern District of California's San Jose division on September 28. The suit accused LIV of being a "sportswashing" effort by the Saudi Arabian administration. Weeks after this, the PGA Tour again filed a lawsuit against LIV Golf backers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by the Saudi crown prince.
PGA Tour sues PIF and Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan
The PGA Tour has now sued the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund in an effort to force evidence discovery in relation to the ongoing legal battles. The US tour has taken up the case against PIF and its governor Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan. The case was filed under seal in US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday, October 20.
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According to court records, the lawsuit seeks the court's permission to urge Al-Rumayyan and the PIF to provide evidence in an ongoing antitrust lawsuit. The PGA Tour wants a federal judge to compel Al-Rumayyan to be deposed and produce legal documents for the league. This comes after LIV's lawyers disagreed to do the same, claiming the league wasn't American and thus needn't abide by the US citizens' request.
It is pertinent to note that PIF are the majority owners of Premier League club Newcastle United. The suit also requires Newcastle and Saudi Aramco Oil Company Chairman Al-Rumayyan to give sworn testimony. As per the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the backers of the prize-rich league are expected to give legal reasoning to the earlier antitrust claims involving them.
The PGA Tour-LIV Golf legal clash continues
It is pertinent to note that LIV golfers filed the first lawsuit in the legal fight. Eleven players, including star names like Phil Mickelson, filed an antitrust claim in August against the PGA Tour. The suit urged the court to "strike down the PGA Tour's anticompetitive rules and practices" against players who joined the rebel league.
The legal clash took a turn when players began bowing out of the lawsuit. Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Ian Poulter pulled out of the high-profile antitrust lawsuit as LIV Golf joined in as plaintiffs. The fight continues as a summary judgment in the antitrust case is expected to be made on July 23, 2023, and the trial is expected to begin in January 2024.
As the legal battle continues, LIV Golf has completed its individual events season. Having successfully completed seven events, LIV golfers will now travel to Miami, USA, for the team championship. The final event of the rebel series' inaugural season will begin on October 28 at the Trump National Doral Golf Club.
