Congratulations to Washington Nationals for Victory in Appellate Court

The New York Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals in a years-long battle with the Baltimore Orioles concerning the method for adjudicating a dispute over annual telecast rights payouts from Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. In its decision, the Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's confirmation of an arbitration award issued by MLB’s Revenue Definitions Sharing Committee over the Orioles’ argument that the dispute should have been arbitrated by an outside-MLB arbitral panel.

In her opinion, Judge Madeline Singas wrote, “In the end, these sophisticated and counseled parties agreed to arbitrate their telecast rights fees dispute before the [Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee] and to follow a stated procedure concerning nonpayment of those fees.” She continued, “The parties have failed to establish any basis to deviate from that contract.”

Partner Hon. David B. Saxe (Ret.), who served as an Associate Justice at the Appellate Division, First Department for 19 years, and Partner Gayle Pollack collaborated with the Nationals’ principal attorneys, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, from the case’s earliest iterations.  Judge Saxe and Ms. Pollack provided strategic advice and assistance in the preparation of the many court filings and assisted in “moot courting” lead counsel to contribute to the Nationals’ victory.

The case was covered in a Law360 article entitled “Top NY Court Backs Washington Nationals in TV Rights Suit.” Subscribers, read the article here.