OAKLAND, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire – National News/ — Champion Women, together with Wrestle Like A Girl, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, and the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, announced today that they have filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (No. 25-4190). According to Liberty Law, Inc., the filing supports a slew of objectors challenging the NCAA’s proposed $2.8 billion settlement, arguing that it perpetuates systemic inequities, suppresses athlete compensation, and strips athletes, particularly women and those in Olympic and non-revenue sports, of fair representation.
The amici warn that the settlement is not the “historic breakthrough” it has been portrayed to be, but rather is a deal that institutionalizes inequality. It binds nearly 400,000 current and former college athletes into one massive class action, negotiated by a single group of lawyers without independent or conflict-free counsel. Under the settlement, men’s football and basketball players receive more than 95% of the settlement funds, while athletes in 42 other NCAA sports, representing the overwhelming majority of Division I competitors, share less than 5% of the paltry settlement but are required to release all of their legal claims.
“This is not progress – it’s the preservation of the same inequities that have defined college sports for decades,” said Nancy Hogshead, Olympic gold medalist and founder of Champion Women. “The NCAA and class counsel have created a settlement that looks like reform but, in reality, leaves women athletes and most college sports behind.”
The amicus brief cites landmark Supreme Court precedents, Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor and Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., and the Third Circuit’s recent Murray decision, which all reaffirm that when class members have divergent interests, the law requires separate representation and conflict-free counsel. With 46 NCAA sports effectively competing for the same limited pool, the settlement exposes these conflicts, granting 95% of the proceeds to men’s football and basketball while providing minimal relief to women and athletes in non-revenue sports. The amici argue that this structure violates established class-action safeguards and fails to deliver the fairness the law demands.
Led by attorneys Gerson H. Smoger, JD., PhD. (Smoger & Associates), Micha Star Liberty (Liberty Law, Inc.), and David Arbogast (Arbogast Law), the amici call for the Ninth Circuit to remand the case to the district court with instructions to require separate, conflict-free counsel and dedicated representatives for women athletes and other underrepresented groups.
“True reform means every athlete, regardless of gender or sport, has an advocate fighting for their interests,” said attorney Micha Star Liberty. “This case is a turning point – the Ninth Circuit has the chance to decide whether college sports move toward equality or remain entrenched in the same systemic imbalance.”
Champion Women, Wrestle Like A Girl, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, and the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group joined forces in this filing to stand for fairness, representation, and equality in collegiate athletics – principles that must finally extend to every athlete, in every sport.
The amicus brief was filed on November 10, 2025, and is available on the Ninth Circuit’s docket for In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (No. 25-4190).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Micha Star Liberty
Liberty Law, Inc.
https://libertylaw.com/
Micha@LibertyLaw.com
510-645-1000
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NEWS SOURCE: Liberty Law Inc.. Story was sourced from a press release issued by Send2Press® and used with permission. View the original story at: https://www.send2press.com/wire/champion-women-and-advocacy-groups-file-amicus-brief-in-ninth-circuit-challenging-ncaa-settlement-that-entrenches-inequity-and-silences-athletes-voices/
