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Parrish et al v. National Football League Players Incorporated Doc. 86

Case 3:07-cv-00943-WHA Document 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
David G. Feher (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
Tel: (212) 259- 8000; Fax: (212) 259- 6333

10 kenneth. steinthal(gjweil.
Kenneth L. Steinthal(pro hac vice)
com
Claire E. Goldstein (Bar No. 237979)
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201 Redwood Shores Parkway
E:: ~. Redwood Shores , CA 94065
Tel: (650) 802- 3000; Fax: (650) 802- 3100
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Bruce S. Meyer (pro hac vice)
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767 Fifth Avenue
New York , NY 10153
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18 National
Attorneys for Defendant
Football League Players Association

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
BERNARD PAUL PARRISH , HERBERT Case No. C 07 0943 WHA
22 ANTHONY ADDERLEY , WALTER
ROBERTS III NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PLAYERS ASSOCIATION'
Plaintiffs NOTICE OF MOTION AND
MOTION TO DISMISS
PLAINTIFFS' SECOND AMENDED
25 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO
FED. R. CIV. P. 12(B)(6)
26 PLAYERS ASSOCIA nON and NATIONAL
FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS Date: August 16 , 2007
27 INCORPORATED dlb/a/ PLAYERS INC Time: 8:00 am
Ctrm: 9
Defendants. Judge: William H. Alsup

NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA
Dockets.Justia.com
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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

=-- N Business and Professions Code 9 17200 are based on allegations that the NFLP A monopolizes
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NFL player group licensing rights by virtue of its position as the union for all active NFL players
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and the terms ofthe collective bargaining agreement (" CBA" ) between the National Football
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i:: U League and the NFLPA. All such state law claims directed at the NFLPA' s collective bargaining
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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 - and thus

clearly time barred - or from a " Sample GLA" that Plaintiffs do 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
~ .-~ ~
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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

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NFLPA' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA
~.~ ~~~
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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--

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

:!i 11 IV. ALL OF PLAINTIFFS' OTHER CLAIMS AGAINST THE NFLP A MUST
=- N ALSO BE DISMISSED ----------------______00______----------------------- '---------------------------------00--------_____--
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NFLP A' s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint Civ. Action No. C07 0943 WHA
~ .~ ~
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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 1010 (9th Cir. 2000)000_00000000000000000_----------_000000000000_000000----------------00000000000000_000_000_ ,6

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~ ~' 180 (9th Cir. 1974 L---------------n------_oo---_oooooooooooo_--------__------_---n---ooo_oooooooooooooooooo .1 0
:!i 11
=- N Careau & Co. v. Sec. Pac. Bus. Credi Inc.
...;1 ~ 222 Cal. App. 3d 1371 (1990)00000000000---000_---------------00_---___00000000000000000_000_------------__---00000000 8 , 10
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z ~ ~
E:: ~. Cate illar Inc. v. Williams
Z to 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
...;1
~:: 14
~u Connell Constr. Co. v. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union No. 100
~ ;J s 421 u.S. 616 (1975L-------noo_00_ooooooooooooooooo_---------------------nooo__ooo_000_000_000000n__--------------nooo_00000_.

Q\ Q

16 Constr. Protective Servs. Inc. v. TlG S ecialt Ins. Co.

29 Cal. 4th 189 (2002Looooooooooooooooooooo_----------------_ :n___0000000000000000000-------------------------_00000000000--00.
r.J 17

18 Elec. Workers v. Hechler

19 Falstaff ~~e
481 U. S. 851 (1987)000000__00_000000000000__0000000000000000000000--_00_00000000000000-- 0000_- _000000_00_00000000__00_000000_00_00.

~~. 8 ~t~~e ~t' _00----------------------------_0000_--_000_-_00------------------------00000--_____.

21 Fole v. Bates
No. C 07- 0402

22 Gridiron. com v. Nat'l Football Lea

PJH , 2007 WL 1430096 (N. D. Cal. May 14 , 2007).._00000000000000_000---------00 .1 1

e Pla ers Ass

106 F. Supp. 2d 1309 (S. Fla. 2000) '00000000000000000--------------_00000000000000000000000_00_------00--------00---.

24
25
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

27
28
Holmes v. Nat'l Football Lea
939 F. Supp. 517 (N. D.

McKeever v. Block
Tex. 1996L------oon_---_00000oooooooo_00------- "----------00_000000000000---------------------

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
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