CASE TIMELINE
The following case timeline outlines the sequence of key events to date in the fighters’ lawsuit.
December 2014
The first class action antitrust complaint is filed on behalf of Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch in the Northern District of California. Four more complaints are filed in the next three months on behalf of other fighters, including Brandon Vera, Javier Luis Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury. The fighters’ lawyers subsequently filed a motion asking the Court to consolidate the five cases into a single action.
January 2015
Zuffa files a motion to transfer the case to the District of Nevada, based on venue/choice of law clauses in the fighters’ contracts.
February – April 2015
Zuffa files a motion to dismiss asking the Court to throw out the fighters’ claims. In April 2015, the fighters’ lawyers file an opposition to Zuffa’s motion to dismiss, explaining all of the reasons why the fighters’ claims are valid and should be allowed to proceed. The fighters’ lawyers also send the first of several requests for production of documents to Zuffa.
June 2015
The case is transferred to the District of Nevada, and the Nevada federal court issues an order consolidating the five cases into one.
July 2015
The Court in Nevada issues an order appointing Berger Montague PC, the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc., and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC as interim co-lead counsel to the class.
September 2015
The Court holds a hearing where both sides argue their positions, and at the end of the hearing, the Court denies Zuffa’s motion to dismiss the case. The court later issued a formal opinion explaining its reasoning.
November 2015
Zuffa produces 108,685 documents to Plaintiffs. Zuffa would eventually produce, and the fighters’ lawyers would review, 779,663 documents. In addition, the fighters’ lawyers were eventually able to cause Zuffa to produce an additional 1.8 million documents.
December 2015
The fighters’ lawyers file a consolidated amended class action antitrust complaint in the District of Nevada.
April 2016
The fighters’ lawyers file the first of several motions challenging Zuffa’s attempt to conceal documents behind attorney privileges. In May 2016, the Court grants the fighters’ motion to challenge privilege and forces Zuffa to produce certain withheld documents. The success of these motions leads to the release of documents the fighters’ lawyers believe are important for the fighters’ case.
November 2016 – August 2017
In November 2016, the fighters’ lawyers conduct the first of fifty depositions of current and former Zuffa employees and executives and third parties. Between November 2016 and August 2017, the fighters’ lawyers question key witnesses under oath, including top UFC officials like Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Joe Silva, as well as other important witnesses.
February 2017
Zuffa files a motion seeking to have Nate Quarry dismissed from the lawsuit. In March 2017, the fighters’ lawyers file an opposition to Zuffa’s motion. In September 2017, the Court holds a hearing on the issue where both sides argued their points. At the end of the hearing, the judge denies Zuffa’s motion without prejudice to Zuffa’s right to raise it again later in the case.
December 2017 – May 2018
The parties exchange extensive reports submitted by each sides’ expert witnesses. The fighters’ lawyers take the depositions of all five of Zuffa’s expert witnesses and defend the depositions of all four of the fighters’ experts.
February 2018 – May 2018
The fighters’ lawyers file a motion for class certification, asking the Court to treat the case as a class action. On the same day that the fighters file their motion, Zuffa files a series of motions asking the Court to disregard all of the evidence put forward by the fighters’ experts. In April 2018, the fighters respond to Zuffa’s motions, explaining that their experts are highly qualified and that the opinions in their reports are reliable and relevant. In May 2018, the fighters submit a second filing to further support their arguments for class certification.
September 2018
The Court denies Zuffa’s motions to exclude the fighters’ experts without prejudice.
July – November 2018
Zuffa files a motion for summary judgment claiming that the fighters do not have enough evidence to support their case. In September 2018, the fighters’ lawyers file an opposition to Zuffa’s motion for summary judgment, including over 150 exhibits demonstrating the abundance of compelling evidence in support of the fighters’ claims. Zuffa files its reply in November 2018.
December 2018
The Court denies Zuffa’s motion for summary judgment without prejudice.
August – September 2019
The Court holds a series of multi-day evidentiary hearings in Las Vegas, Nevada and Richmond, Virginia, including testimony by both sides’ expert witnesses and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.
December 2020
The Court announces that it will be certifying a class of all persons who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from December 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017.
January 2021
The Court announces that it intends to unseal and make public the vast majority of documents in the case when it publishes its class certification order.
June 2021
The filing of the Antitrust Class Action Complaint Demand for Jury Trial, also known as the Johnson complaint (June 23, 2021)