Class Action Lawsuits Pile Up Against Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao and his promoters are continuing to see more class action lawsuits come in, alleging they failed to disclose his shoulder injury before consumers purchased tickets and pay-per-view telecasts for his much-anticipated fight against Floyd Mayweather.
According to ESPN.com, the first class action lawsuit was filed in Nevada on May 5, 2015, but others were filed later the same say including two in California, and one each in Illinois and Texas.
Angry Plaintiffs
One lawsuit in California was filed on behalf of Paul Mahoney who, according to the complaint, paid $99.95 for the pay-per-view telecast.
The lawsuit states that Pacquiao’s failure to disclose his shoulder injury turned the Fight of the Century into the “sleight of the century.”
The injury was obviously a game changer.
The lawsuit filed in Illinois names Pacquiao, his manager and his promo company, Top Rank, as well as Floyd Mayweather, Mayweather Productions, fight producers HBO and Showtime and pay-per-view providers, AT&T, Comcast and DirecTV.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said had consumers known about Pacquiao’s shoulder injury, they would not have thought that the fight was worth watching.
Did Pacquiao Lie?
In a prefight questionnaire submitted to the Nevada Athletic Commission, Pacquaio checked the “no” box to the question of whether he had suffered any injury to his shoulders, elbows or hands that needed evaluation.
Pacquiao’s team admitted that he did injure his shoulder prior to the fight and was in fact receiving treatment.
After the fight, which he lost, Pacquiao said he was only fighting at 60 percent of where he would normally be.
The lawsuits together ask for more than $5 million in damages claiming that customers were defrauded.
The Value of Class Action Lawsuits
While class action lawsuits often end up as the “whipping boy” of tort reform proponents, it remains a fact that they are often the last resort for consumers who want to go after the “big guy.”
Whether it’s a corporation, a government entity, or a major sports personality, class actions are a way for consumers who believe they have been defrauded, to get justice and compensation for their losses.
More than anything else, it is a way for them to hold wrongdoers accountable.
As California class action attorneys, we hope the truth comes out as a result of these filings and justice is served.