Caddies' $50M suit says PGA Tour usurps endorsement opportunities with bib requirement
A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of professional golf caddies claims the PGA Tour forces them to wear bibs displaying the logos of corporate sponsors without sharing the revenue generated.
The complaint (PDF), filed in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, values the bib sponsorships at $50 million a year and accuses the PGA Tour of usurping the caddies’ endorsement opportunities. The Golf Channel and the Associated Press have stories.
Caddies are independent contractors employed by the golfers, who rely on them for expertise in course topography and geometry, and to help maintain confidence, the suit says. The caddies are “undeniably instrumental” in supporting a high competition level, yet the PGA Tour treats them “as second-class participants of the game,” the suit says.
PGA Tour regulations permit caddies to endorse their own sponsors’ products, the suit says. “Nevertheless, plaintiffs have continued to wear the bibs in acquiescence to defendant’s threats to interfere with the caddie-player relationship and to further limit plaintiffs’ endorsement opportunities,” according to the complaint.
The suit alleges restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, misappropriation of likeness, breach of a contractual right to exercise the same endorsement rights as players, unjust enrichment, consumer confusion in violation of the Lanham Act, duress, and violations of California’s unfair competition law.
The suit was filed by the Lanier Law Firm.
