(Carolina Journal) – A federal judge has questions about the $2 million settlement ending a lawsuit between University of North Carolina tennis player Reese Brantmeier and the NCAA.
A hearing is scheduled June 18 in Greensboro.
Brantmeier and former University of Texas player Maya Joint had challenged the college sports governing organization’s prize-money rules for tennis players.
The settlement announced in April set up a $2 million fund to compensate players affected by NCAA prize-money restrictions. The organization also agreed to relax its prize-money rules.
Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued an order Friday calling for Brantmeier’s lawyers to file a new brief by June 11. It should address “the apparent absence of injunctive relief for enrolled students playing tennis for their schools, the sufficiency of the notice on that point, whether that dichotomy creates a conflict of interest between and among class members, and the scope of the Released Injunctive Claims,” according to the order.
The NCAA also can file a brief by June 11 “addressing any of the questions.”
April 28 court filings detailed the settlement Brantmeier and Joint reached in the suit filed against the NCAA in 2024.
“The proposed settlement is an extraordinary outcome for the Classes, and the injunctive relief obtained will positively impact future generations of student-athletes, including many individuals who are not members of the Classes,” Brantmeier’s lawyers wrote.
In addition to the $2.02 million settlement fund, with $10,000 designated for both Brantmeier and Joint, the NCAA agreed to cover another $2.5 million in lawyers’ fees and settlement administration costs.
Brantmeier led the class-action suit challenging the NCAA’s ban on college tennis players accepting prize money from tournaments like the U.S. Open. The suit could affect thousands of current and former athletes.
Brantmeier won the NCAA’s women’s singles tennis championship in November.
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