It was updated on August 3, 2022.
The antitrust lawsuit was filed by a group of 11 players, led by Americans Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.
The 11 golf players sued the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour has acted in anakedly anticompetitive manner and seeks the destruction of competition, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. district court of Northern California.
The lawsuit was reported by the WSJ.
Three of the golfers asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order so they can play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The PGA Tour confirmed last month that the Department of Justice had launched an antitrust investigation, and several legal experts told Forbes last month they expected golfers to wait for the results of the federal probe as opposed to taking action of their own.
10 of the top 50 ranked golf players in the world have been signed by LIV Golf thanks to huge contracts. In June, the PGA Tour suspended DeChambeau and other tour members for playing in golf events. In a memo obtained by Forbes last month, the PGA Tour said it was confident that it had acted in accordance with the antitrust laws. In the memo sent after news of the Justice Department investigation broke, the tour pointed out that the Federal Trade Commission did not find the tour guilty in an antitrust investigation in 1990. The results of the earlier probe may no longer be a fair precedent given the federal government's handling of sports antitrust cases.
In a memo to players provided to Forbes and other outlets, the commissioner of the tour accused the golfers of trying to use lawyers to force their way into competition. The Saudi Golf League was referred to in the letter by the author.
The players brought this action to vindicate their rights as independent contractors and to challenge the anti-competitive rules of the PGA. Golfers should be allowed to play golf despite the efforts of the PGA Tour.
According to the lawsuit, the suspension of Lefty was far earlier than when it was first announced. According to the complaint, he can't apply for reinstatement until March 2024.
The experts say that the PGA should be concerned about the DOJ probe.
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