Federal magistrate awards nearly $46M in legal fees in NCAA athlete-pay case
Former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon was lead plaintiff in the class action. ABA file photo by Jacob Kepler.
After a federal district court’s ruling last year that a ban on paying college athletes for using their names and images violates antitrust law, a magistrate judge has awarded nearly $46 million in attorney fees and costs to the lawyers for the plaintiffs.
The NCAA had argued that the lawyers should get far less, pointing out that they did not prevail on all claims in the California class action featuring former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon as a lead plaintiff. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins said the case nonetheless had a major impact, Reuters and USA Today report.
“This win against a behemoth of an institution like the NCAA could significantly change American college sports,” he wrote. “Plaintiffs did not succeed on every claim. But the time spent on the unsuccessful claims contributed to the decisive success by laying the groundwork for the eventual trial victory.”
The NCAA has appealed last year’s trial victory for the plaintiffs. No decision has yet been forthcoming from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A spokeswoman for the NCAA declined to comment on Monday’s attorney’s fees ruling, Bloomberg reports.
CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated also have stories.
Related coverage:
USA Today: “O’Bannon lawyers fight huge fee reduction sought by NCAA”
