Former NCAA athletes lawsuit against EA moves forward

The class action lawsuit filed by former NCAA athletes accusing EA of using their likenesses without providing compensation of any kind will continue on, following denial of the publisher’s request for dismissal.

Courthouse News reports U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken revealed the decision last week. The same judge had ruled in EA’s favor in previous dismissal requests regarding an anti-trust claim, and claims of a conspiracy to get players boycotted.

The lawsuit (filed in 2009) alleged that EA, the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company conspired against collegiate athletes by getting them to sign away their rights to compensation related to their likenesses for NCAA-licensed video games.

The athletes who filed the lawsuit allege that they were forced to sign ‘Form 08-3a’ in order to play in official competition. The form gave the NCAA the right to profit off a signee’s likenesses without providing them with anything in return.

EA could be forced to pay over $1bn in damages to the plaintiffs if found at fault.