Parrish et al v. National Football League Players Incorporated, No. 3:2007cv00943 - Document 86 (N.D. Cal. 2007)

Court Description: MOTION to Dismiss Second Amended Complaint filed by National Football League Players Incorporated, National Football League Players Association. Motion Hearing set for 8/16/2007 08:00 AM in Courtroom 9, 19th Floor, San Francisco. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order Granting NFLPA's Motion to Dismiss)(Goldstein, Claire) (Filed on 7/6/2007)

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~ ~='" ~.~ ~~~ ... ... Parrish et al v. National Football League Players Incorporated Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Doc. 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 1 of 19 Mark Malin (Bar No. 199757) mmalin(gjdeweyballantine. com 2 DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP 1950 University Avenue , Suite 500 East Palo Alto , CA 94303 Tel: (650) 845- 7000; Fax: (650) 845- 7333 Jeffrey L. Kessler (pro hac vice) j kess ler(gjdeweyballantine. com (pro hac vice) dfeher(gjdeweyballantine. com Eamon O' Kelly (pro hac vice) eokelly(gjdeweyballantine. com DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP 1301 Avenue of the Americas New York , NY 10019 David G. Feher Tel: (212) 259- 8000; Fax: (212) 259- 6333 (pro hac vice) 10 kenneth. steinthal(gjweil. com Kenneth L. Steinthal =-- :!i N 11 ...;1 ~ ...;1 'I' z ~ ~ E:: ~. Claire E. Goldstein (Bar No. 237979) claire. goldstein(gjweil. com WElL , GOTSHAL & MANGES LLP 201 Redwood Shores Parkway Redwood Shores , CA 94065 Tel: (650) 802- 3000; Fax: (650) 802- 3100 -:: .E ...;1 ~ ...;1 'I' 0: (pro hac vice) bruce. meyer(gjweil. com Bruce S. Meyer ~ ;J ~ ~Q ~ WElL , GOTSHAL & MANGES LLP 767 Fifth Avenue New York , NY 10153 g( Q r.J 17 Tel: (212) 310- 8000; Fax: (212) 310- 8007 Attorneys for Defendant 18 National Football League Players Association UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION BERNARD PAUL PARRISH , HERBERT 22 ANTHONY ADDERLEY , WALTER ROBERTS III Plaintiffs 25 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 26 PLAYERS ASSOCIA nON and NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS 27 INCORPORATED dlb/a/ PLAYERS INC Defendants. NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Case No. C 07 0943 WHA NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION' NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION TO DISMISS PLAINTIFFS' SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 12(B)(6) Date: August 16 , 2007 Time: 8:00 am Ctrm: 9 Judge: William H. Alsup Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA Dockets.Justia.com ~ == ~ ~~~ ... ... Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 2 of 19 TO PLAINTIFFS AND THEIR ATTORNEYS OF RECORD: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on August 16 , 2007 at 8 a. , or as soon thereafter as this matter may be heard , in Courtroom 9 of the above-entitled Court , located at 450 Golden Gate Avenue , San Francisco , California , Defendant National Football League Players Association (the "NFLP A") will and hereby does move , pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), to dismiss all claims against the NFLP A alleged by Plaintiffs Bernard Paul Parrish ("Parrish" Herbert Anthony Adderley ("Adderley ), and Walter Roberts III Roberts ) (collectively Plaintiffs ) in their Second Amended Complaint (the " Second Amended Complaint" or SAC" First , Plaintiffs ' unfair competition claims against the NFLP A under California Business and Professions Code 9 17200 are based on allegations that the NFLP A monopolizes =-- N ...;1 ~ ...;1 'I' NFL player group licensing rights by virtue of its position as the union for all active NFL players z ~ E:: ~. and the terms ofthe collective bargaining agreement (" CBA" ) between the National Football -:: oS ...;1 5:; i:: U 14 League and the NFLPA. All such state law claims directed at the NFLPA' s collective bargaining ~ ;J ~ ~ Q ~ g( Q status and CBA rights are preempted under the federal labor laws. Plaintiffs also fail to allege facts to satisfy any of the legal requirements for claiming an " unlawful" or " fraudulent" business r.J 17 practice in violation of Section 17200 , or even for asserting California subject matter jurisdiction under that statute. Second , as to Plaintiffs ' breach of contract claims , the Second Amended Complaint does not identify the terms of any particular group licensing agreement (" GLA" ) any ofthe Plaintiffs was a party to with the NFLP A during the applicable four year statute of limitations period , or how the NFLP A allegedly breached those terms. To the contrary, the only GLAs specifically identified in the Second Amended Complaint are either from 1998 clearly time barred - or from a " Sample GLA" that Plaintiffs do and thus not allege they signed. Third , all of Plaintiffs ' other claims against the NFLP A - i. , unjust enrichment breach of fiduciary duty, and for an accounting - must be dismissed for the same reasons set forth in the Motion to Dismiss filed by co- defendant National Football League Players Incorporated d/b/a Players Inc. All of these arguments are incorporated herein by reference. NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA ~ ~='" ~ .-~ ~ ~:: Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 3 of 19 The NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss is based upon this Notice of Motion , and the accompanying Memorandum of Points and Authorities. Date: July 6 , 2007 DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP By: /S/ Jeffrey L. Kessler Jeffrey L. Kessler Attorneys for Defendant National Football League Players Association =-- :!i N 11 ...;1 ~ ...;1 'I' z ~ ~ E:: ~. Z t' ...;1 ...;1 'I' 0: ~.~ u ~ ;J S ~Q , 10 ~ Q\ Q r.J 17 NFLPA' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA ~.~ ~~~ ~= ~.... ._____----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------______ ~ =- ~ Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 4 of 19 T ABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------______m_--____-----------------______m_ 3 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITlES _---_m--mmoo__-------mm_--_-----------m_m--m--m STATEMENT OF FACTS ----------------------------------------------------------_--_--_00_--------_000000_--------------------00----___ 5 ARGUMENT__--___------_--____oo___oo__----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------______ PLAINTIFFS' UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES CLAIMS AGAINST THE NFLP A FOR ALLEGEDLY ABUSING PLAYER RIGHTS "UNDER THE CBA" ARE PREEMPTED BY FEDERAL LABOR LA W _------oom----m_---oomoommm--mm-- :!i 11 =- N ..J ~ ...;1 aJ 8 II. PLAINTIFFS' SECTION 17200 CLAIMS AGAINST THE NFLPA ALSO FAIL FOR NUMEROUS OTHER REASONS m------__mmw-----m_m--m--___---------mmmm--m_ III. PLAINTIFFS' BREACH OF CONTRACT CLAIMS AGAINST THE NFLP MUST ALSO BE DISMISSED FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM.---------___mm--mm IV. ALL OF PLAINTIFFS' OTHER CLAIMS AGAINST THE NFLP A MUST ALSO BE DISMISSED ----------------______00______----------------------- '---------------------------------00--------_____-- ~ 5 : CONCLUSION E:: ~. z... ;';; oS ...;1 5:; 14 ~ g( Q r.J 17 NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA ~ ~ ~::;: .~ ~ Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 5 of 19 T ABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page Cases 4 A ilera v. Pirelli Armstron Tire Co 223 F. 3d ,6 1010 (9th Cir. 2000)000_00000000000000000_----------_000000000000_000000----------------00000000000000_000_000_ Am. Fed' n of Musicians v. Carroll 391 U. S. 99. (1968)"000000_0000--00--_000000_00000000_0000000000_00_000000__00000000_0000_00__00_00_0000000000000000_00_00__00___--.. Bell Atlantic Co . v. Twombl 127 S. Ct. 1955 (2007) 00--0000-------------------00000-_00000000000---_---00_------------000---_-00000000000000---_00___--- 9 , 11 Black v. Nat' l Football Lea e Pla ers Ass 87 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D. C. 2000)..------_---00000000000000000000000000000_00_---------------_00000000000000000000----_00_--00. 10 Bo e v 4ti~ :!i =- N ...;1 ~ 11 ~' 180 (9th Cir. 1974 L---------------n------_oo---_oooooooooooo_--------__------_---n---ooo_oooooooooooooooooo .1 0 ...;1 'I' Careau & Co. v. Sec. Pac. Bus. Credi Inc. 222 Cal. App. 3d 1371 (1990)00000000000---000_---------------00_---___00000000000000000_000_------------__---00000000 8 , 10 z ~ ~ E:: ~. Cate illar Inc. v. Williams Z to ...;1 482 U. S. 386 (1987)..--_00--- _000000_00-_0000--0000_00_00 00--_00--000000_000000000000--00__0000_00000000_00--_000000000000__00- 5 , 6 15 ~:: 14 ~u ~ ;J s Q\ Q Connell Constr. Co. v. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union No. 100 421 u.S. 616 (1975L-------noo_00_ooooooooooooooooo_---------------------nooo__ooo_000_000_000000n__--------------nooo_00000_. 16 Constr. Protective Servs. Inc. v. TlG S ecialt Ins. Co. 29 Cal. 4th 189 (2002Looooooooooooooooooooo_----------------_ :n___0000000000000000000-------------------------_00000000000--00. r.J 17 18 21 24 25 27 28 Elec. Workers v. Hechler 481 U. S. 851 (1987)000000__00_000000000000__0000000000000000000000--_00_00000000000000-- 0000_- _000000_00_00000000__00_000000_00_00. 19 Falstaff ~~e ~~. 8 ~t~~e ~t' _00----------------------------_0000_--_000_-_00------------------------00000--_____. Fole v. Bates No. C 07- 0402 PJH , 2007 WL 1430096 (N. D. Cal. May 14 , 2007).._00000000000000_000---------00 .1 1 22 Gridiron. com v. Nat'l Football Lea 106 F. Supp. 2d 1309 (S. e Pla ers Ass Fla. 2000) '00000000000000000--------------_00000000000000000000000_00_------00--------00---. A. Artists & Assocs. v. Actors ' E uit Ass 451 U. S. 704 (1981 )00000000_0000_00000000 __0000000000-- 00-- - 00--00_000000_00----00-- - _0000 --00_00____---_00000000000000_000000-- 00 Harris v. Rudin Richman & A 74 Cal. App. 4th 299 (1999)000_000000--_----_------_------------00__---0000000000000_00_---------------_00000000_000000 8 , 10 Holmes v. Nat'l Football Lea 939 F. Supp. 517 (N. D. Tex. 1996L------oon_---_00000oooooooo_00------- "----------00_000000000000--------------------- McKeever v. Block 932 F. 2d 795 (9th Cir. 1991 L-oooooo_ooooooooo-------------__---n---nooo__ooooooooooo---------------_---_noooooo_ooooo .1 I -11- NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 6 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 7 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 8 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 9 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 10 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 11 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 12 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 13 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 14 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 15 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 16 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 17 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 18 of 19 Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 86 Filed 07/06/2007 Page 19 of 19

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