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Houston Astros Granted Mandamus Petition and Dismissal of Ticketholder Putative Class Actions

Yetter Coleman secured a significant victory on behalf of the Houston Astros as lead trial and appellate counsel in connection with multiple putative class actions that were filed on behalf of current and former season ticketholders in Texas state court related to the highly-publicized 2017 sign-stealing investigation by Major League Baseball.

The cases allege that the play on the field was not what was represented by the Astros, and the team raised season ticket prices, parking prices, and other prices because of the success obtained through the sign-stealing scheme, and presented novel issues about whether sports fans and ticketholders have cognizable legal claims related to a sports team’s play on the field.

The court of appeals adopted our client’s arguments in full, holding for the first time under Texas law that claims based on how a sports team plays the game are not cognizable. Read opinion.

Yetter Coleman’s team includes Reagan Simpson, Bryce Callahan, Grant Martinez, and Autry Ross. The petition for Writ of Mandamus is In re Houston Astros LLC and Houston Astros Management, No. 14-20-00769 – CV.