Judge denies NCAA's motion to dismiss Ed O'Bannon lawsuit

A judge declined the NCAA's motion to dismiss a lawsuit involving use of college athletes' names. (Isaac Brekken/AP Photo)

A United States District Judge denied the NCAA's motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit regarding the use of college athletes' names and likenesses.

According to USA Today, Judge Claudia Wilken ruled Friday that none of the NCAA's arguments provided "grounds for dismissing Plaintiffs' claims at this stage."

The NCAA asked for the dismissal of the lawsuit last month when a settlement between video game maker Electronic Arts and former college athletes, headed by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon, was reached.

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More from USA Today:

Wilken said that a 1984 Supreme Court ruling that the NCAA has relied upon to preserve its amateurism system "does not stand for the sweeping proposition that student-athletes must be barred, both during their college years and forever thereafter, from receiving any monetary compensation for the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses. Although it is possible that the NCAA's ban on student-athlete pay serves some procompetitive purpose, such as increasing consumer demand for college sports, Plaintiffs' plausible allegations to the contrary must be accepted as true at the pleading stage.