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Judge Delays Trial Date For LIV Suit vs. PGA Back

By  |  April 9, 2023

The scheduled trial date for LIV Golf’s federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour has been vacated by a federal judge, reported ESPN.

The trial may not start until at least May 2024 as the sides work through discovery disputes related to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the fund’s governor.

During a case management hearing, Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California postponed the trial date from Jan. 11, 2024, to a date at least four months later.

Read more: LIV Golf Joins Antitrust Suit Against PGA Tour

Earlier this week, Freeman ruled that the Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, are subject to discovery and depositions. A lower court judge’s decision to require the PGA Tour’s lawyers to depose Al-Rumayyan and other PIF officials in Saudi Arabia was overruled by Freeman. 

The PGA Tour’s attorney expressed concern for their safety in Saudi Arabia. Freeman ruled that the depositions can take place in New York.