A panel of three arbitrators has ruled in favor of prominent MLB agent and MVP Sports Group President Danny Lozano and against his former partners at Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Beverly Hills Sports Council had brought the arbitration against Lozano, claiming he owed the agency $40 million for leaving and taking clients, including MLB all-stars Joey Votto and Albert Pujols, with him. Lozano filed a counterclaim against his former partners, Jeff Borris, Dan Horwits and Rick Thurman.
The panel of arbitrators ruled against BHSC, and Lozano won his counterclaim, sources said. Sources requested anonymity because the arbitration was confidential.
Lozano and his attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, declined to comment. Rusty Hardin, who represented BHSC in the case, declined comment.
A spokesman for BHSC did not return a request for comment.
Under MLB Players Association rules, certified agents cannot sue each other in federal or state court, but must bring their claims against each other to an arbitration, which is overseen by the union. “We view arbitration decisions as confidential information,” said MLBPA senior counsel Rick Shapiro. Shapiro declined further comment.
Lozano worked at BHSC for 22 years before leaving to start his own agency in 2010. In the 2011-12 MLB offseason, he negotiated deals worth $549 million for four clients, including Pujols and Votto.
