The PGA Tour has officially moved to dismiss its legal case against LIV Golf, signaling the possible end to a long court battle that lasted almost a year.
Both parties agreed to dismiss all claims made against one another on Friday, with prejudice. This means that the claims in the two lawsuits cannot be refiled. In Friday’s filing “all parties are responsible for their own costs and fees.”
The news last week of the partnership between DP World Tour, the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund stated that all pending litigations between the Tour and LIV will be dismissed, as both sides work to Create a new global golf entity.
After the names of players were slowly removed, LIV Golf took over. LIV Golf is a company that receives almost all its funding from PIF. The Saudi Arabian wealth fund was established in 1971 to allow the government to invest in projects and companies. It is estimated to be worth more than $650 billion.
The Tour then filed an answer against LIV. The court decided in February that the Tour can add Al-Rumayyan and the PIF as defendants to its countersuit. This dragged the financiers further into the weeds of the judiciary.
The New York Times had earlier in the day asked a U.S. Northern District of California judge to unseal all documents relating to a legal battle between LIV Golfand the PGA Tour. They cited the public’s First Amendment rights and common law right to public records. The Times asked the judge to schedule a hearing for Aug. 3 or shortly thereafter to discuss its motion.
Lawyers for the Times claim that settlements do not negate the right to access by the public. In fact, they argue that it will only enhance the public interest.
The U.S. Department of Justice was already investigating the Tour’s antitrust behavior. However, earlier this week, it was reported that the Justice Department was also examining the proposed deal with PIF and the same with the U.S. Senate.
