PITTSBURGH — A branch of the Major League Baseball Players Association has decided to drop its lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Sheetz Inc., a well-known convenience store chain. The lawsuit initially claimed these entities engaged in unauthorized use of players’ images and names on social media platforms.
MLB Players Inc., a subsidiary of the players’ union, filed its complaint in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh on August 14, accusing the defendants of breaching Pennsylvania laws related to the unauthorized utilization of individuals’ names and likenesses. In addition, they alleged common law misappropriation of identity as well as claims of unjust enrichment. The organization sought both an injunction and financial damages against both the Pirates and Sheetz.
Following the lawsuit, the Pirates announced that a verbal agreement had been established shortly thereafter. On December 23, MLB Players Inc. submitted a notice indicating their withdrawal from the lawsuit, which had identified Pittsburgh Associates and Sheetz as the primary defendants.
Earlier, on June 21, the Pirates had revealed a sponsorship agreement involving jersey patches with Sheetz. The lawsuit claimed that social media posts on platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook from both the team and Sheetz inappropriately utilized images of notable players including Paul Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Nick Gonzales, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Connor Joe.
In a related matter, another lawsuit concerning likeness rights has been brought against DraftKings Inc. and Bet365 Group Ltd. This case was filed in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on September 16 and is still active.
Additionally, MLB Players have taken legal action against FanDuel and Underdog Sports in New York Supreme Court on the same day, alleging misuse of names, images, and likenesses. This case was later moved to the federal court in Manhattan as of October 18. A notice of voluntary dismissal was filed by MLB and FanDuel, which was subsequently accepted by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams on November 19. However, the lawsuit against Underdog Sports remains unresolved.
As of now, legal representatives for DraftKings, Underdog Sports, and Bet365 have not provided any comments regarding the ongoing matters.
