SAN DIEGO: Hartley LLP and its co-counsel fled a case against Varsity Brands (consisting of Varsity Brands, LLC, Varsity Spirit, LLC, and Varsity Spirit Fashion & Supplies, LLC) and its founder, Jeff Webb, for abusing its monopoly power in the market for cheer competitions. Varsity controls the USASF and all other rule-making organizations governing competitive cheer. It acquired its monopoly through a systematic program of acquiring its rivals and using its dominant market position and control of the rule-making organizations to create barriers to foreclose competition in the cheer competition market. Varsity also manufactures and sells the apparel, accessories, and equipment athletes are required to use in cheer competitions and practices. Groups desiring to compete at school cheer championship events are often required to pay to attend Varsity’s own cheer camps. Families of cheer athletes are left with no choice but to pay Varsity’s prices for its competitions and uniforms. As a result of Varsity’s alleged unlawful and anticompetitive behavior, class members have indirectly paid higher prices for cheer competitions, cheer apparel, and cheer camps, as well as related goods and services, and have thereby suffered, and continue to suffer, antitrust injury.
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Hartley LLP represents commercial plaintiffs on a contingency basis and victims of anticompetitive conduct like price fixing agreements, unfair competition, tying agreements and monopolization. Its attorneys have worked to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for its clients. For more information about our practice, visit https://hartleyllp.com/results/.