Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, ANTITRUST NEWS: Tennis association slammed with suit for tournament sanctioning practices, (Feb 5, 2015)

By Greg Hammond, J.D.

A United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) instructor has filed suit against the Northeastern Ohio Tennis Association for conspiring to exercise monopolistic control over the approval, certification, and sanctioning of United States Tennis Association tournaments and unreasonably restraining competition (Levin v. Northeastern Ohio Tennis Assn., Dkt. 1:15-cv-00230-DAP).

Reid Levin, a USPTA instructor, organizes tennis tournaments in eastern Ohio. In a complaint, filed yesterday in the federal district court in Cleveland, he alleged that the Northeastern Ohio Tennis Association inconsistently applies its own policies when approving or rejecting tournaments within its jurisdiction. Specifically, Levin claims that the association violated the Sherman Act and Ohio antitrust laws by forming a conspiracy with its Competition Committee and failing to “account for the intrinsic uncertainty inherent in its” tournament application process, constituting an unreasonable restraint of trade. This restraint, according to Levin’s complaint, significantly reduces the number of sanctioned tournaments and playing surfaces available to players; unnecessarily increases the cost of sanctioned tournaments for participants; unnecessarily increases the risk that tennis directors will sustain substantial economic loss; and significantly increases the risk of tennis facilities closing.

Levin also alleges that the tennis association exercises monopolistic control over the approval, certification, and sanctioning of United States Tennis Association tournaments in northeast Ohio. This control provides the association with the power to exclude current and potential tennis tournament directors, including Levin, from the northeast Ohio tennis market. Levin seeks a monetary award for past, present and future economic losses, punitive damages, treble damages, attorney fees, and costs.

Attorneys: Mark Mikhaiel (Levin & Associates Co., L.P.A.) for Reid Levin.

Companies: Northeastern Ohio Tennis Assn.

News: Antitrust