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US: California golf caddies lose antitrust appeal

By  |  July 30, 2018

A group of northern California golf caddies have lost their appeal in an antitrust claim against the PGA Tour that involved a dress requirement worth US$50 million in advertising revenue.

Chief Judge Sidney Thomas issued a 32-page ruling on July 27, in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in a lawsuit initiated by caddy Williams Hicks and a group of 164 other caddies. The ruling affirmed, in part, a lower court ruling by the US District Court for the Northern California District.

Hicks and the other caddies filed the appeal on October 12, 2017, after the district court dismissed their antitrust claims against the PGA Tour for allegedly requiring they wear bibs with advertisements.

The advertising on the bibs estimated to be worth more than US$50 million in revenue annually, according to the lawsuit. The tour and local hosts received money, but the caddies get no compensation for wearing the bibs with the ads, according to the lawsuit.

Full Content: Northern California Record

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