PGA Tour sues LIV Golf’s Saudi backers to drive proof discovery

The PGA Tour has filed a lawsuit towards LIV Golf backers, the Saudi Arabia Public Funding Fund, an entity managed by the Saudi crown prince, in an effort to drive proof discovery in ongoing authorized battles.

The deep-pocketed fund has lured a number of high-profile gamers, together with Phil Mickelson, from the tour after which it banned the gamers from competing in its occasions. The battle for expertise has led to a number of lawsuits, lobbed in each instructions, and disputes round proof discovery.

The PGA Tour is asking a federal decide to compel the fund’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to be deposed and produce paperwork associated to the league. LIV’s attorneys initially agreed to cooperate with the invention, however later reversed course and objected, claiming the league is not required to adjust to the requests as a result of it isn’t a U.S. citizen, in keeping with an individual acquainted with the authorized dealings.

Representatives for LIV and for the Saudi Arabia Public Funding Fund did not instantly return requests for remark from CNBC.

The lawsuit, filed Friday within the U.S. District Court docket for the Southern District of New York, is a continuation of a sequence of antitrust claims between the 2 organizations. LIV Golf sued the tour alleging anti-competitive practices for banning its gamers, and the tour lately countersued LIV Golf, claiming the upstart league was itself stifling competitors.

Critics have accused the Saudi Arabia Public Funding Fund of “sportswashing” through the use of the league to distract from the dominion’s historical past of human rights violations. The league reportedly supplied golf legend Tiger Woods $800 million to affix, a proposition he reportedly turned down.

LIV Golf does not but air its matches on a serious community. Golfweek reported that the Saudi-backed tour, with the assistance of the fund and certainly one of its beneficiaries, Jared Kushner, was planning to pay Fox Sports activities to broadcast its 2023 season. Usually, channels pay leagues for the appropriate to air competitions, not the opposite manner round.

“Current reviews about media rights have been incomplete and inaccurate,” Jonathan Grella, LIV Golf chief communications officer, informed CNBC in response to the Golfweek report. “LIV Golf is simply starting its course of and is in energetic discussions with a number of firms about broadcasting the LIV Golf League. We warning that nobody ought to draw any conclusions about potential media rights on condition that we’re nonetheless in the midst of negotiations with a number of shops.”

In the meantime, the PGA Tour has taken to Washington, D.C., to foyer towards LIV Golf, and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star, made his personal go to to Capitol Hill in mid-September to “educate members on LIV’s enterprise mannequin and counter the Tour’s anti-competitive efforts.”

The LIV Golf championship will happen beginning Oct. 28 on the Trump Nationwide Doral Golf Membership in Miami.