A Dallas federal judge ordered NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to be deposed as part of the lawsuit against the league brought by disgruntled ticketholders from Super Bowl XLV. Judge Barbara Lynn did sharply limit the deposition questioning to only pertain to the issue of what Goodell knew about the seating fiasco that afflicted that event. The NFL was concerned the plaintiffs' lawyers would question Goodell about how much money he spent while in Dallas, and the type of accommodations he had.
The plaintiffs have tried for most of the year to get Goodell for a deposition, and had been originally turned down by the judge until her order yesterday. But the judge’s order could be somewhat bittersweet. It comes one day after Lynn denied class certification, meaning any case would have to go forward with just the named plaintiffs. Lack of class certification would make the case much less worthwhile for the plaintiff firms to proceed with, said John Goldman, a sports attorney with Herrick Feinstein.
Michael Avenatti, the lead counsel for the ticketholders, replied he “absolutely” plans to continue with the case. Lynn ruled Goodell’s deposition will occur no later than Aug. 5.
