Freeborn & Peters Attorney Andrew Goldstein refutes class action lawsuit filed against DraftKings, FanDuel

A federal lawsuit has been filed by a former Northern Illinois football player, Akeem Daniels, against fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel, declaring the sites profited off of his name and made players susceptible to point-shaving schemes. Daniels also filed a class action suit, to include all college football and basketball players, arguing they were never compensated by the sites for their athletic performances. Andrew Goldstein, an IP and corporate practice expert, told the Tribune, “the lawsuit’s claim of putting players at risk of being pressured to become involved in game fixing is ‘a stretch.’’ In particular, Goldstein said the same logic should apply to this case as a previous case, in which the federal district court dismissed current and former college athletes claims that television networks, licensing businesses, and the NCAA conspired against the athletes to profit off use of their names and performances. Goldstein noted that the companies already have their hands full with more serious lawsuits, including one with Illinois attorney general, Lisa Madigan, over the legality of the sites in the state. “I think they should be more concerned about those cases rather than this [Daniels] one,” he said. The article, “Former NIU running back sues FanDuel, DraftKings for using name,” was published on Jan. 28. 

To read the article, click here. (Subscription required)