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Morgan & Morgan, P.A. Clay M. Townsend, admitted pro hac vice 20 N. Orange Avenue, 16th Floor Orlando, FL 32801 Attorneys for the Neal Plaintiffs Rosenquist & Associates Anders Rosenquist, Jr. #002724 Florence M. Bruemmer #019691 80 E. Columbus Phoenix, Arizona 85012 Attorneys for Plaintiff Meadowlark Lemon Garvey, McNeil & McGillivray Edward R. Garvey, admitted pro hac vice 634 W. Main Street, Suite 101 Madison, WI 53703 Telephone: (608) 256-1003 [email protected] Attorneys for Defendants Harlem Globetrotters Int' Inc. l, and Mannie L. & Catherine Jackson Dreier LLP Ira S. Sacks, admitted pro hac vice 499 Park Avenue New York, New York 10022 Telephone: (212) 328-6100 [email protected] Attorneys for GTFM, LLC UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF ARIZONA No. CV-04-0299 PHX DGC and CV-04-1023 PHX DGC JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CASE
21 MEADOWLARK LEMON, et al., 22 vs.
Plaintiffs,
23 HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 24 25 26 Case 2:04-cv-00299-DGC PHX/RHARRIS/1856665.1/43458.007 Document 491 Filed 11/15/2006 Page 1 of 5
INTERNATIONAL, INC., et al.; Defendants.
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Plaintiffs are seven former members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball and entertainment team: Meadowlark Lemon, Fred Neal, Dallas Thornton, Marques Haynes, Robert Hall, James Sanders and Larry Rivers. They played at various times between 1947 to 1991, and in some cases coached and conducted public relations work as well. They filed this lawsuit allegedly because their names were used on retro basketball jersey inspired apparel, which they became aware of in approximately Fall of 2003. Defendant GTFM, LLC ("GTFM" or "FUBU") sold apparel pursuant to a license agreement with Defendants Harlem Globetrotters International, Inc. The license agreement authorized FUBU to manufacture and sell clothing using Harlem Globetrotters and other trademarks. The agreement was signed in 2002 and expired in 2004 (after this lawsuit was filed). All of the apparel sold under the license had the Globetrotter and FUBU trademarks, while some of it also contained the Plaintiffs' names, alleged likenesses and/or alleged numbers. Plaintiffs claim Defendants violated their rights of publicity, or the right of a person to control the commercial use of his or her identity, by manufacturing and selling the apparel. Plaintiffs seek damages based on Defendants' use of their names, alleged likenesses and/or alleged numbers on the apparel. The Globetrotters and FUBU deny that they obtained any commercial advantage from using Plaintiffs' names, alleged likenesses and/or alleged numbers on the apparel because the names had no effect on sales. The Globetrotters also assert that Plaintiffs consented to the use of their names and likenesses on the apparel by their past actions and because each of the Plaintiffs signed one or more contracts while they were players that Defendants believe permitted the team and its successors, to use Plaintiffs' names and likenesses in perpetuity. The players deny that these contracts gave the Globetrotters and FUBU the right to use their names and likenesses on the apparel and claim they did not consent to Defendants' use of their names and likenesses.
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RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED this 15th day of November, 2006. By: s/Edward R. Garvey_______________ Ray K. Harris FENNEMORE CRAIG, P.C. 3003 N. Central Ave., Suite 2600 Phoenix, AZ 85012-2913 Edward R. Garvey, admitted pro hac vice Christa Westerberg, admitted pro hac vice GARVEY McNEIL & McGILLIVRAY 634 W. Main St., Suite 101 Madison, WI 53703 Telephone: (608) 256-1003 Facsimile: (608) 256-0933 [email protected] Attorneys for Defendants Harlem Globetrotters Int' Inc. and Mannie L. & Catherine l, Jackson
By: s/ Ira S. Sacks_____________________ Ira S. Sacks, admitted pro hac vice Safia A. Anand, admitted pro hac vice DREIER LLP 499 Park Avenue New York, New York 10022 Telephone: (212) 328-6100 Facsimile: (212) 328-6101 [email protected] Joel L. Herz, Esq. State Bar No. 015105 Law Offices of Joel L. Herz 3573 East Sunrise Drive, Suite 215 Tucson, AZ 85718 Telephone: 520-529-8080 Facsimile: 520-529-8077 [email protected] Attorneys for Defendant GTFM, LLC
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By:
/s/ Clay Townsend CLAY M. TOWNSEND, ESQUIRE KEITH MITNIK, ESQUIRE Morgan & Morgan, PA 20 N. Orange Avenue, 16th Floor Orlando, FL 32801 Attorneys for Plaintiffs Fred Neal, Larry Rivers, Robert Hall, Dallas Thornton, Marques Haynes and James Sanders
By:
/s/Anders Rosenquist Anders Rosenquist, Jr. Florence M. Bruemmer ROSENQUIST & ASSOCIATES 80 E. Columbus Phoenix, Arizona 85012 Attorneys for Plaintiff Meadowlark Lemon
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 1. I hereby certify that on November 15, 2006, a true and correct copy of the attached document was electronically transmitted to the Clerk' Office using the CM/ECF System for s filing and transmittal of a Notice of Electronic Filing to the following CM/ECF registrants: Safia A Anand [email protected] Florence M Bruemmer [email protected] Edward R Garvey [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Robert Williams Goldwater III [email protected] Ray Kendall Harris [email protected], [email protected] Joel Louis Herz [email protected], [email protected] Alec R Hillbo [email protected], [email protected] Brandon Scott Peters [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Anders V Rosenquist , Jr [email protected] Ira S Sacks [email protected] Clay M Townsend [email protected], [email protected];
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[email protected] Christa O Westerberg [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2. I hereby certify that on November 15, 2006, a true and correct copy of the attached document was sent via U.S. Mail, postage paid thereon, to the following parties, at the addresses listed: Keith R. Mitnik Morgan & Morgan PA 20 N. Orange Ave. Suite 1600 Orlando, FL 32802 s/Melody Tolliver____________
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