Motion For Dismissal Filed By PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Ending Legal Hostilities
LOS ANGELES — The PGA Tour, LIV Golf, Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Yasir Al-Rumayyan have filed papers in Federal District Court Northern District of California on Friday stipulating to voluntary dismiss all litigation over all claims and counterclaims with prejudice.
The filing means the end of all legal hostilities over all issues that arose out of the original amended complaint filed by LIV Golf last August, and the amended counterclaim filed by the PGA Tour in February, all third party discovery issues with the PIF and Al-Rumayyan as well as dismissal of the appeal in the Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit.
“And today, that tension goes away,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said last week in an interview on CNBC once a framework agreement was reached between the parties. “The litigation is dropped. We’re announcing to the world that on behalf of this game, we’re coming together.”
One of the provisions of the framework agreement was to file a stipulation of dismissal 10 days after the press release announcing the agreement, and Friday was the 10th day.
"Pursuant to the Framework Agreement announced last week, documents have now been filed with the court bringing a formal end to all pending litigation between the PGA Tour, PIF and LIV Golf," read a memo sent Friday to PGA Tour members and obtained by Sports Illustrated.
LIV Golf began on June 9, 2022, with a field of 48 players outside London.
Fifty-five days later, on Aug. 3, 11 named plaintiffs—Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones, Bryson DeChambeau, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak and Peter Uihlein—filed a 106-page antitrust complaint against the PGA Tour and demanded a jury trial.
The original complaint and subsequent counterclaims were amended during the 317 days of legal hostilities with tens of millions of dollars spent on the litigation.
With the case dismissed with prejudice, none of the previous parties will be allowed to bring a case against any of the parties regarding the facts of the case.
While the litigation is ended when Judge Beth Labson Freeman signs the order, which is a formality, other litigation involving LIV, the PGA Tour, PIF and Al-Rumayyan is still outstanding.
On Friday, the New York Times Company asked Judge Freeman to intervene and unseal redacted documents, a hearing is scheduled for Aug. 3.
The Department of Justice is also looking at the antitrust issues in regard to the recently announced partnership between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, PIF and the DP World Tour.
The Justice Department also reportedly has a an additional antitrust case they are pursuing about the Tour's actions in regards to LIV and potential anticompetitive actions.