“We have concerns about the operation of the post-2009 free agent market,” Weiner said.  “We have been investigating that market. Our investigation is far along but not yet complete.”

Agents for players have claimed that they have received multiple similar offers for free agent clients and have urged the union to speak up on the matter.

The union also alleged misconduct by teams following the 2008 season.  The two sides reached a standstill agreement, giving the players’ association more time to decide whether to proceed with a grievance on that matter.

• LA Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has been appointed to oversee the manslaughter case against former Michael Jackson physician Conrad Murray. Several members of Jackson’s family and a number of his fans showed up to proceedings yesterday. [AP]

• Sean Penn has been sued by a photographer who claims he was shooting a documentary about paparazzi when he was kicked and punched by the actor and had to have knee surgery as a result of the beating. Penn was charged with criminal battery over the incident last month. [TMZ]

• A judge has ruled in favor of the AP in most of its requests for evidence against artist Shepard Fairey, accused of infringing the news agency’s copyright when creating the Barack Obama “Hope” poster. The judge ordered the defendant to disclose the identities of anyone who helped delete or destroy records. [AP]

• The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a case over whether a website’s links to other sites featuring defamatory statements constitutes defamation in itself. [Canadian Press]

• One lawsuit begets another: The financial agency that says it helped celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz land a $40 million deal to help settle her financial troubles, now says it is owed $800,000 in fees, according to a new lawsuit. [NY Post]

Roger I. Abrams, Sports arbitration and enforcing promises: Brian Shaw and labor arbitration, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 223 (2009)

Timothy S. Bolen, Note, Singled out: application and defense of antitrust law and single entity status to non-team sports, 15 SUFFOLK JOURNAL OF TRIAL & APPELLATE ADVOCACY 80 (2010)

Christopher B. Carbot, Comment, The odd couple: stadium naming rights mitigating the public-private stadium finance debate, 4 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 515 (2009)

Walter T. Champion, Jr., “Mixed metaphors,” revisionist history and post-hypnotic suggestions on the interpretation of sports antitrust exemptions: the Second Circuit’s use in Clarett of a Piazza-like “innovative reinterpretation of Supreme Court dogma,” 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 55 (2009)

Josh Chetwynd, Play ball? An analysis of final-offer arbitration, its use in Major League Baseball and its potential applicability to European football wage and transfer disputes, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 109 (2009)

John D. Colombo, The NCAA, tax exemption, and college athletics, 2010 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LAW REVIEW 109

Ed Edmonds, A most interesting part of baseball’s monetary structure – salary arbitration in its thirty-fifth year, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 1 (2009)

Stacey B. Evans, Sports agents: ethical representatives or overly aggressive adversaries?, 17 VILLANOVA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 91 (2010)

Mathieu Fournier & Dominic Roux, Labor relations in the National Hockey League: a model of transnational collective bargaining?, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 147 (2009)

Lloyd Freeburn, European football’s home-grown players rules and nationality discrimination under the European Community Treaty, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 177 (2009)

James Halt, Comment, Where is the privacy in WADA’s “whereabouts” rule?, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 267 (2009)

Ron S. Hochbaum, Comment, “And it only took them 307 years”: ruminations on legal and non-legal approaches to diversifying head coaching in college football, 17 VILLANOVA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 161 (2010)

Kristen E. Knauf, Sports law in law reviews and journals (index), 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 299 (2009)

Erick S. Lee, A perception of impropriety: the use of package deals in college basketball recruiting, 17 VILLANOVA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL59 (2010)

Michael A. McCann, American Needle v. NFL: an opportunity to reshape sports law, 119 YALE LAW JOURNAL 726 (2010)

Alex B. Porteshawver, Comment, Green sports facilities: why adopting new green-building policies will improve the environment and the community, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 241 (2009)

Michael J. Redding & Daniel R. Peterson, Third and long: the issues facing the NFL collective bargaining agreement negotiations and the effects of an uncapped year, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 95 (2009)

Nicholas J. Rieder, Book note, reviewing Don Wollett, Getting on Base: Unionism in Baseball, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 291 (2009)

David L. Snyder, Automatic outs: salary arbitration in Nippon Professional Baseball, 20 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW. 79 (2009)

Jonathan Stensvaag, Note, English-only rules: Title VII, Title II, and the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s proposed English-only rule, 13 JOURNAL OF GENDER, RACE & JUSTICE 241 (2009)

Maureen A. Weston, Simply a dress rehearsal? U.S. Olympic sports arbitration and de novo review at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, 38 GEORGIA JOURNAL OF
INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW 97 (2009)

• Lawyers for Google say broadcast journalist Bob Tur is responsible for leaking sensitive documents in the Viacom-YouTube case. Tur, who became famous for getting aerial footage of the Rodney King riots and O.J. Simpson's car chase, has been battling YouTube for years as one of the first litigants to file a copyright infringement case against the company. [CNET] More on Tur here from our 2007 profile of him for Esquire magazine.

• A New Jersey police officer and his wife are the latest individuals to try — and fail — to get a judge to block the release of MTV reality show “Jersey Shore” over an unflattering portrayal. [AP]

• A federal court in Alabama has rejected Gawker Media’s motion to dismiss a complaint for libel concerning statements made by its auto blog on motorcycles manufactured by Confederate Motors, Inc. The post portrayed the motorcycles — used by Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, apparently — as unreliable and the subject of mass litigation. [C&C]

• Here’s a quote that came too late for YouTube to stick it in its motion to dismiss Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement case. At the Boston College Chief Executives’ Club yesterday, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said, “We have nothing against YouTube. It’s a wonderful service.” Nothing? [Bloomberg]

• Speaking of that case, both Viacom and Google are meeting with a judge today to discuss an investigation into who leaked depositions from the case to a reporter. [CNET]

• An Irish court has ruled that Prince owes nearly $3 million in damages to a concert promoter for bailing on a Dublin show and failing to live to the terms of a settlement. [TMZ]

• A coalition of wildlife groups has filed a lawsuit attempting to stop a deal that was made with Ted Turner. The media mogul agreed to take on dozens of bison from Yellowstone National Park in exchange for 75% of their offspring. We can’t make this stuff up. [AP]

As the National Labor Relations Board approaches its 75th anniversary, its continued vitality has been questioned.  It has operated with only two members since December 28, 2007.  Two calendar years have passed, and yet there are few signs that the public or the workforce has noticed.  Is this a temporary matter, or has one of the original New Deal agencies lost focus?  If it has, what should the Board do to reinvigorate its traditional role as the primary regulator of private-sector labor relations?

We invite you to a Symposium to discuss these issues, hosted by the Law Review at the Florida International University College of Law on March 26-27, 2010.  The gathering will bring together a small, select group of nationally- renowned scholars, government officials, and practitioners to present and discuss potential changes in national labor relations law, as well as structural and administrative reform that could, without change to the existing statutes, improve the efficacy of the NLRB.

On Saturday, March 27th, we will conclude with two more presentations and an off-the-record discussion among our distinguished guests.  For more information on this upcoming event, including a tentative schedule, please click this link.

Tentative Schedule:

Friday, March 26th
8:00 – 9:15 a.m.   Breakfast at Florida International University College of Law

9:15 – 11:45 a.m. Panel I
Structural and Administrative Reform under the Existing NLRA
Jennifer Hill, Esq., Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center
Jeff Hirsch, Associate Professor of Law, University of Tennessee College of Law
Anne Lofaso, Professor of Law, West Virginia University College of Law
Jeffrey Lubbers, Professor of Practice in Administrative Law, American University College of Law
John Sanchez, Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern University Law School

11:45 – 12:00 p.m. Break

12:00 – 2:00 p.m.  Lunch
Speakers
Dean R. Alexander Acosta, FIU College of Law & Former Member, NLRB
Wilma Liebman, Chairman, NLRB

2:00 – 4: 30 p.m.  Panel II
Changes in Board Law under the Existing NLRA
Matthew Bodie, Associate Professor of Law, Saint Louis University School of Law
James Brudney, Newton D. Baker-Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law, Ohio State College of Law
Catherine Fisk, Professor of Law, University of California-Irvine School of Law
Michael Harper, Professor of Law, Barreca Labor Relations Scholar, Boston University

4:45 p.m.  Return to Westin, Coral Gables

Saturday, March 27th
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.  Breakfast

9:00 – 10:15 a.m.  Panel III
Structural and Legal Reform: The Discussion Continues
Samuel Estreicher, Dwight Opperman Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
Paul Secunda, Associate Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School
Peter Schaumber, Member, NLRB

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Reflective Discussion

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

HOTEL INFORMATION: Most out-of-town guests will be staying at the Westin Colonnade Coral Gables, 180 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.  To make reservations, please call the Westin Coral Gables directly at (305) 441-2600.

• A teenage ex-beauty queen is suing Disney and the ABC show “Wife Swap” for $100 million, claiming they intentionally caused severe emotional and psychological harm. The lawsuit also claims that many of the sequences on the hit RDF-produced reality show are scripted. [NYP]

• The widow of country music legend Roger Miller has beaten Sony/ATV Publishing in federal court to win the copyrights to some of his biggest hits, including “King of the Road,” plus about $900,000 in owed royalties. [Billboard]

• A famed fabric store based in Paris, France is suing the author of a crime novel for defamation for depicting its business rocked by threats, voodoo, and staff abductions. [Guardian]

• Hollywood has become so litigious that it’s news when someone decides not to sue. Despite saying he’s owed royalties, Lady Gaga’s former bassist and co-writer Tommy Kafafian says he won’t go down the path of Rob Fusari. “I don’t wanna sue anybody,” he says. “It’s really not my style.” [NJ Entertainment]

Sean W.L. Alford, Comment, Dusting off the AK-47: an examination of NFL players’ most powerful weapon in an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, 88 NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW 212 (2009)

Jeffrey Benz, Common issues in international sports arbitration, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 165 (2009)

Kristan Bryant, Note, Take a knee: applying the First Amendment to locker room prayers and religion in college sports, 36 JOURNAL OF COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY LAW 329 (2009)

Christian Dennie, Tebow drops back to pass: videogames have crossed the line, but does the right of publicity protect a student-athlete’s likeness when balanced against the First Amendment?, 62 ARKANSAS LAW REVIEW 645 (2009)

N. Jeremi Duru, This field is our field: foreign players, domestic leagues, and the unlawful racial manipulation of American sport, 84 TULANE LAW REVIEW 613 (2010)

Virginia A. Fitt, Note, The NCAA’s lost cause and the legal ease of redefining amateurism, 59 DUKE LAW JOURNAL 555 (2009)

Michael Gerton, Note, Kids’ play: examining the impact of the CBC Distribution decision on college fantasy sports, 11 TEXAS REVIEW OF ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS LAW 153 (2009)

Mike Leach, A legal education applied to coaching college football, 42 TEXAS TECH LAW REVIEW 77 (2009)

Michael Lenard, The future of sports dispute resolution, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 173 (2009)

Richard H. McLaren & Geoff Cowper-Smith, The Beijing Summer Olympic Games: decisions from the CAS and IOC, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 69 (2009)

Matthew J. Mitten, Judicial review of Olympic and international sports arbitration awards: trends and observations, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 51 (2009)

Jennifer A. Mueller, Note, The best defense is a good offense: student-athlete amateurism should not become a fantasy, 2009 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS JOURNAL OF LAW, TECHNOLOGY & POLICY 527-560

Chad M. Oldfather & Matthew M. Fernholz, Comparative procedure on a Sunday afternoon: instant replay in the NFL as a process of appellate review, 43 INDIANA LAW REVIEW 45 (2009)

Christopher Pruitt, Debunking a popular antitrust myth: the single entity rule and why college football’s Bowl Championship Series does not violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, 11 TEXAS REVIEW OF ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS LAW 125 (2009)

Scott Rosner & Deborah Low, The efficacy of Olympic bans and boycotts on effectuating international political and economic change, 11 TEXAS REVIEW OF ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS LAW 27 (2009)

John Ruger, From the trenches: the landscape of sports dispute resolution and athlete representation, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 157 (2009)

Michael S. Straubel, Lessons from USADA v. Jenkins: you can’t win when you beat a monopoly, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 119 (2009)

Geoff Varney, Note, Fighting for respect: MMA’s struggle for acceptance and how the Muhammad Ali Act would give it a sporting change, 112 WEST VIRGINIA LAW REVIEW 269 (2009)

Jeremy A. Wale, Adequate protection of professional athletes’ publicity rights: a federal statute is the only answer, 11 THOMAS M. COOLEY JOURNAL OF PRACTICAL & CLINICAL LAW 245 (2009)

Adam Wasch, Children left behind: the effect of Major League Baseball on education in the Dominican Republic, 11 TEXAS REVIEW OF ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS LAW 99 (2009)

Maureen A. Weston, Doping control, mandatory arbitration, and process dangers for accused athletes in international sports, 10 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 5 (2009)

Dr. Glenn M. Wong, Kyle Skillman & Chris Deubert, The NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee: Recent Case History, Analysis and the Beginning of a New Chapter, 9 VIRGINIA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 47 (Fall 2009)

Brian P. Yates, Whether building a new sports arena will revitalize downtown and make the team a winner, 17 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BUSINESS LAW REVIEW 269 (2009)