Fight of century is now battle in court as fans sue Pacquiao
Breaking Legal News - POSTED: 2015/05/19 18:28
Breaking Legal News - POSTED: 2015/05/19 18:28
Boxing fans across the country and their lawyers are calling the hyped-up fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. a fraud and want their money back, and then some.
At least 32 U.S. lawsuits seeking class-action status allege Pacquiao should have disclosed a shoulder injury to fans before the fight, which Mayweather won in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds that most fans thought didn't live up to the hype.
Fight of the century? More like fraud of the century, the lawsuits contend.
"The fight was not great, not entertaining, not electrifying. It was boring, slow and lackluster," according to a lawsuit filed in Texas alleging racketeering, a claim usually reserved for organized crime.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Flights Beer Bar near Los Angeles International Airport in California said Pacquiao and his promoter's actions were "nothing but a cash-grab." The bar paid $2,600 to broadcast the fight.
The fighters are expected to earn more than $100 million each — Mayweather more than Pacquiao. HBO and Showtime broke records, raking in more than $400 million from 4.4 million people who paid to watch the pay-per-view broadcast.
Those viewers paid up to $100 each, and the lawsuits want that money back.
It isn't as easy as showing a receipt and demanding a refund. A federal panel of judges will likely first need to decide if the lawsuits from multiple states and Puerto Rico should be consolidated into one case. From there, a judge would have to decide whether to certify them as class action or not.
What's sought in each is the same: a jury trial and at least $5 million in damages, the threshold for federal class-action lawsuits.