Vie Sports
Citation
Hollenbeck et. al. v. United States Olympic Committee et. al., 03-K-1364 (PAC), (D.C. Colo. 2003).
Issues
Scot Hollonbeck, Tony Iniguez, and Jacob Heilveil are elite athletes with disabilities who have competed in the Paralympic Games. The United States Olympic Committee ("USOC") denies benefits, programming, funding and other support to Paralypmic athletes that it provides to Olympic athletes. Hollonbeck, Iniguez and Heilveil have sued the USOC under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act to remedy this discrimination.
In addition, the USOC promised Paralympic athletes that it would raise funds for their programs by selling rights to the Paralympic trademark. The USOC retained Vie Sports Marketing - of which Mr. Hollonbeck is a principal - to be its exclusive agent to carry out this task. Ultimately, however, contrary to the USOC's explicit promises to Vie Sport and public statements to sponsors, the USOC did not permit Vie Sports to market the Paralympic mark to major sponsors. This was a breach of the USOC's contract with Vie Sports and represented further discrimination against Paralympic athletes and programs.
Status
This case was filed on July 28, 2003. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss. Oral arguments on the Motion to Dismiss will be held on September 21, 2005 at Colorado Federal District Court. We are still awaiting a decision.
