Puerto Rico Baseball Gets Antitrust Shield in Mixed Ruling (1)

A top Puerto Rican baseball league must face antitrust claims that it engaged in a boycott against a businessman who wanted to operate his own team in the US territory, after the First Circuit reversed a lower court ruling dismissing the allegations.

The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, however, in a mixed ruling Monday, held that the federal baseball antitrust exemption correctly shielded Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico Inc. from Sherman Act allegations that it prevented plaintiff Tom Axon from investing in and operating a professional baseball team.

The ruling upholds expanded immunity given to ...