O'Bannon, Jr. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association et al

Filing 111

Reply Memorandum re #76 MOTION to Appoint Lead Counsel filed byEdward C. O'Bannon, Jr.. (Bailey, Arthur) (Filed on 11/3/2009)

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Robert B. Carey (pro hac vice) Leonard W. Aragon (pro hac vice) HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP 2425 East Camelback Road, Suite 650 Phoenix, Arizona 85016 Tel: (602) 840-5900 Fax: (602) 840-3012 Email: rcarey@hbsslaw.com leonard@hbsslaw.com Counsel for Plaintiffs in Keller Action Michael P. Lehmann (Cal. Bar No. 77152) Jon T. King (Cal. Bar No. 205073) Arthur N. Bailey, Jr. (Cal. Bar No. 248460) HAUSFELD LLP 44 Montgomery Street, 34th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415) 633-1908 Fax: (415) 358-4980 Email: mlehmann@hausfeldllp.com jking@hausfeldllp.com abailey@hausfeldllp.com Counsel for Plaintiffs in O'Bannon Action [Additional counsel listed on signature page] UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAMUEL MICHAEL KELLER, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, v. ELECTRONIC ARTS, INC., NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION; COLLEGIATE LICENSING COMPANY, Defendants. Case No. CV 09 1967 (CW) REPLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS SAMUEL MICHAEL KELLER'S AND EDWARD C. O'BANNON, JR.'S MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 23(g)(3) Date: November 17, 2009 Time: 2 p.m. Judge: The Hon. Claudia Wilken Courtroom: 2, 4th Floor REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 EDWARD C. O'BANNON, JR., on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, v. NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (a/k/a the "NCAA"); and COLLEGIATE LICENSING COMPANY (a/k/a "CLC"), Defendants. Case No. CV 09-3329 (CW) Judge: Hon. Claudia Wilken Plaintiffs Samuel Michael Keller and Edward C. O'Bannon, Jr. submit this reply to the Oppositions filed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") and the Collegiate Licensing Company ("CLC"), and in support of their motion for appointment of interim co-lead counsel. Rule 23(g)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a court "may designate interim counsel to act on behalf of the putative class before determining whether to certify the action as a class action." Courts may, and routinely do, appoint interim class counsel prior to class certification, if it is necessary to protect the interests of the putative class. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(g)(3) advisory committee's note to 2003 amendments. See e.g. Levitte v. Google, Inc., Nos. C 08 3369, C 08 3452, C 08 3888, C 08 4701, 2009 WL 482252 at *2 (N.D. Cal. February 25, 2009); In re California Title Ins. Antitrust Litig., No. 08 1341, 2008 WL 4820752 (N. D. Cal. November 3, 2008); In re Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Antitrust Litig., No. 07 5944, MDL 1917, 2008 WL 2024957 at *2-3 (N.D. Cal. May 9, 2008). Such necessity exists if a number of lawyers may compete for class counsel appointment because there are a "number of overlapping, duplicative, or competing suits pending in other courts, and some or all of those suits may be consolidated..." Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth, § 21.11. "In such cases, designation of interim counsel clarifies responsibility for protecting the interests of the class during precertification activities, such as making and responding to motions, conducting any necessary discovery, moving for class certification and negotiating settlement." Id. REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 1 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Contrary to the assertions of the NCAA and the CLC, there is a more than reasonable expectation that competition to be appointed class counsel will exist between plaintiffs' counsel. To date, six overlapping, duplicative and competing suits have been filed in this court alleging substantially similar right of publicity and/or antitrust causes of action involving a conspiracy to unlawfully use the names and likeness of college basketball and college football student-athletes. 1 As the most recent case was filed today, it seems likely that more cases may also be filed. Approximately forty-one (41) separate firms represent plaintiffs in the six actions. Given the large number of firms involved, it is more than likely that a number of these will pursue appointment as co-lead counsel. Accordingly, it is necessary to appoint interim co-lead counsel at this time. It serves the interests of judicial economy and efficiency and the interests of the putative class to appoint interim counsel now. As noted above, appointment of counsel clarifies responsibilities in protecting the interests of the class during precertification activities. Approval of the proposed interim leadership structure will allow for efficient prosecution of this action through a decision on class certification and appointment of permanent class co-counsel and help facilitate of any potential settlement discussions that may occur in the future. See Advisory Committee Notes to former Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(g)(2)(A). Approval will provide third parties with assurances that they are dealing with counsel with authority to negotiate document preservation and production issues. Approving the proposed interim leadership structure and granting these firms interim co-lead counsel status will provide all concerned with the requisite indicator that these firms are empowered to act on behalf of the proposed class. Approval will also allow for the coordinated preparation and filing of a consolidated amended complaint. In addition to the Keller and O'Bannon actions, the following cases have been filed: Bishop v. Electronic Arts, et al., Case No. 09-cv-04128 CW; Newsome v. NCAA, et al., Case No. 09-cv04882 CW; Anderson v. NCAA, et al., Case No. 09-cv-5100 BZ; and Wimprime v. NCAA, et al., Case No. 09-cv-5134 BZ. 1 REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 2 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Also contrary to Defendants' assertions, it is standard operating procedure to appoint interim co-lead counsel prior to resolution of motions to dismiss. Regardless of whether motions to dismiss may or may not be granted, there still exist the issues of amendment of the pleadings, the efficient prosecution of the other actions, and the need for interim leadership among the counsel in the various cases. The existence of pending motions to dismiss does not negate the stated reasons justifying the necessity for appointment. For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs respectfully request that this Court appoint Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Hausfeld LLP as interim co-lead counsel pursuant to Rule 23(g)(3). Dated: November 3, 2009 Respectfully submitted, HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP /s/ Robert B. Carey________________ Robert B. Carey (pro hac vice) Leonard W. Aragon (pro hac vice) 2425 East Camelback Road, Suite 650 Phoenix, Arizona 85016 Telephone: (602) 840-5900 Facsimile: (602) 840-3012 rcarey@hbsslaw.com leonard@hbsslaw.com Counsel for Plaintiff Samuel Michael Keller HAUSFELD LLP /s/ Arthur N. Bailey, Jr.______________ Michael P. Lehmann (Cal. Bar No. 77152) Jon T. King (Cal. Bar No. 205073) Arthur N. Bailey, Jr. (Cal. Bar No. 248460) 44 Montgomery Street, 34th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415) 633-1908 Fax: (415) 358-4980 Email: mlehmann@hausfeldllp.com jking@hausfeldllp.com abailey@hausfeldllp.com Counsel for Plaintiff Edward Charles O'Bannon, Jr. Steve Berman (pro hac vice) HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP 1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2900 Seattle, Washington 98101 Telephone: (206) 623-7292Facsimile: (206) 623-0594 steve@hbsslaw.com Stuart M. Paynter (Cal. Bar. No. 226147) THE PAYNTER LAW FIRM PLLC 1200 G Street N.W., Suite 800 Washington DC 20005 Telephone: (202) 626-4486 Facsimile: (866) 734-0622 stuart@smplegal.com 3 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Shana E. Scarlett (Cal. Bar No. 217895) HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP 715 Hearst Avenue, Suite 202 Berkeley, CA 94710 Telephone: (510) 725-3000 Facsimile: (510) 725-3001 shanas@hbsslaw.com Additional Counsel for Plaintiff Samuel Michael Keller Michael D. Hausfeld (pro hac vice) Megan E. Jones (pro hac vice) HAUSFELD LLP 1700 K Street, NW, Suite 650 Washington, DC 20006 Tel: (202) 540-7200 Fax: (202) 540-7201 Email: mhausfeld@hausfeldllp.com mjones@hausfeldllp.com William A. Isaacson (pro hac vice) Tanya Chutkan (pro hac vice) Jack Simms (pro hac vice) BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP 5301 Wisconsin Avenue, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20015 Tel: (202) 237-2727 Fax: (202) 237-6131 Email: wisaacson@bsfllp.com tchutkan@bsfllp.com jsimms@bsfllp.com Jonathan W. Cuneo Daniel M. Cohen CUNEO GILBERT & LaDUCA LLP 507 C Street NE Washington, D.C. 20002 Tel: (202) 789-3960 Fax: (202) 789-1813 Email: jonc@cuneolaw.com danielc@cuneolaw.com Daniel S. Mason (Cal. Bar No. 54065) ZELLE HOFMANN VOELBEL & MASON LLP 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 3400 San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415) 693-0700 Fax: (415) 693-0770 Email: dmason@zelle.com John F. Cove, Jr. (Cal. Bar No. 212213) BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP 1999 Harrison Street, Suite 900 Oakland, CA 94612 Tel: (510) 874-1000 Fax: (510) 874-1480 Email: jcove@bsfllp.com Vincent J. Esades HEINS MILLS & OLSON, P.L.C. 310 Clifton Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55403 Tel: (612) 338-4605 Fax: (612) 338-4692 Email: vesades@heinsmills.com REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 4 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Mitchell J. Rapp (Michigan Bar No. P43081) Shawn D. Stuckey (MN Bar No. 0388976) ZELLE HOFMANN VOELBEL & MASON LLP 500 Washington Avenue South, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Telephone: (612) 339-2020 Facsimile: (612) 336-9100 Email: mrapp@zelle.com sstuckey@zelle.com Steven J. Greenfogel MEREDITH COHEN GREENFOGEL & SKIRNICK, P.C. 1521 Locust Street, 8th Floor Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 Tel: (215) 564-5182 Fax: (215) 569-0958 Email: sgreenfogel@mcgslaw.com Brian M. Sund Joshua G. Hauble MORRISON FENSKE & SUND, P.A. 5125 County Road 101, Suite 202 Minnetonka, MN 55345 Tel: (952) 975-0050 Fax: (952) 975-0058 Email: bsund@morrisonfenske.com jhauble@morrisonfenske.com Bruce L. Simon (Cal. Bar. No. 96241) Jessica L. Grant (Cal. Bar. No. 178138) PEARSON, SIMON, WARSHAW & PENNY, LLP 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 1430 San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415) 433-9000 Fax: (415) 433-9008 Email: bsimon@pswplaw.com jgrant@pswplaw.com Jay L. Himes Morissa Falk LABATON SUCHAROW LLP 140 Broadway New York, NY 10005 Tel: (212) 907-0700 Fax: (212) 818-0477 Email: jhimes@labaton.com mfalk@labaton.com Stanley D. Bernstein Ronald J. Aranoff Dana Statsky Smith BERSTEIN LIEBHARD LLP 10 East 40th Street, 22nd Floor New York, New York 10016 Tel: (212) 779-1414 Fax: (212) 779-3218 Email: bernstein@bernlieb.com aranoff@bernlieb.com Eugene A. Spector SPECTOR ROSEMAN KODROFF & WILLIS, P.C. 1818 Market Street, Suite 2500 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 Tel: (215) 496-0300 Fax: (215) 496-6611 Email: espector@srkw-law.com Gordon Ball BALL & SCOTT, A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION 550 Main Avenue, Suite 750 Knoxville, TN 37902 Tel: (865) 525-7028 Fax: (865) 525-4679 Email: GBall@ballandscott.com REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 5 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Allan Steyer (Cal. Bar. No. 100318) STEYER LOWENTHAL BOODROOKAS ALVAREZ & SMITH LLP One California Street, Third Floor San Francisco, CA 94111 Tel: (415) 421-3400 Fax: (415) 421-2234 Email: asteyer@steyerlaw.com Additional Attorneys for Plaintiff Edward Charles O'Bannon, Jr. Carl A. Taylor Lopez LOPEZ & FANTEL 1510 114th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4024 Tel: (206) 322-5200 Email: clopez@lopezfantel.com REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 6 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 I, Arthur N. Bailey, Jr., am the ECF User whose ID and password are being used to file REPLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS SAMUEL MICHAEL KELLER'S AND EDWARD C. O'BANNON, JR.'S MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 23(g)(3). In compliance with General Order 45, X.B., I hereby attest that Robert B. Carey has concurred in this filing. REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 7 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I, Arthur N. Bailey, Jr., declare that I am over the age of eighteen (18) and not a party to the entitled action. I am a partner in the law firm of HAUSFELD LLP, and my office is located at 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 3400, San Francisco, California 94104. On November 3, 2009, I filed the following: REPLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS SAMUEL MICHAEL KELLER'S AND EDWARD C. O'BANNON, JR.'S MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 23(g)(3); with the Clerk of the Court using the Official Court Electronic Document Filing System which served copies on all interested parties registered for electronic filing. I also certify that I caused true and correct Chambers Copies of the foregoing document(s) to be hand-delivered to the following Judge pursuant to Civil L.R. 3-12(b) by noon of the following day: The Hon. Claudia Wilken U.S.D.C., Northern District of California Oakland Division 1301 Clay Street, Suite 400 S Oakland, CA 94612-5212 I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. /s/ Arthur N. Bailey, Jr. Arthur N. Bailey, Jr. REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CO-LEAD COUNSEL 8 Case Nos. CV 09 1967 (CW) ; CV 09-3329 (CW)

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