Fanatics Scores Major Victory: Consumer Antitrust Case Dismissed

Fanatics has been facing an ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed against them for monopolistic practices. Now, the case has been dismissed in court, marking a major victory for the company. This is a major decision that will impact the hobby moving forward.

Here is what collectors need to know about the background and the end result of the case, and what it means for the hobby now and in the future.

The Consumer Case

The case was originally filed last March, and has been ongoing since. The claim made by the plaintiffs was that Fanatics was illegally monopolizing the trading card market, and also artificially increasing prices for consumers.

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Notable aspects included in the case included the fact that Fanatics began acquiring licenses as early as 2021, that Fanatics bought the printer company that Panini uses and slowed its production, and forced case breakers onto its own platform. The original complaint when filed stated that "Fanatics has successfully foreclosed one hundred percent of the market for Major U.S. Professional Sports Leagues trading cards for the next decade at least."

Why The Case Was Dismissed And What It Means

This week, the consumer case reached a resolution. The Judge overseeing the case dismissed it due to a lack of standing by the plaintiffs to file the case. According to the opinion, the court also found no evidence of financial injury from trading cards Fanatics currently sells. Additionally, the Judge ruled that any future harm was too speculative and inadequately pleaded. Ultimately, the court found the complaint to be legally deficient and dismissed it without prejudice.

According to a Fanatics Spokesperson, “We said from the start that this was a baseless and fundamentally flawed lawsuit since Fanatics was being accused of raising prices on cards we didn’t even produce. The Court agreed and ruled that the plaintiffs did not even have standing to sue. We are happy the Court has now ruled the complaint legally deficient and dismissed it.”

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin talking to Super Bowl Champion CJ Gardner Johnson at the Philly Show | Alex Tressler

In the hobby world, the immediate impact is Fanatics will continue to operate as they planned. Topps will continue to produce NBA licensed cards, and will also officially take over the NFL license April 1. The MLB and other named contracts will continue and/or proceed as well.