April 2008
Stories about lawsuits aren’t always sexy. But when officials appear in a courtroom as plaintiffs or defendants, other officials can learn important lessons.
Referee called on Alan Goldberger, an expert on officiating-related law, to summarize the most important court cases in the history of the industry.
Goldberger came up with 11 landmark cases, covering topics such as officials’ liability when a player is injured, discriminatory assigning practices, perceived incorrect judgment calls and assaults.
Most but not all of the cases resulted in verdicts that favored the officials. But the goal of the feature wasn’t necessarily to celebrate courtroom victories. It was another story aimed at educating officials, not about rules and mechanics, but about real-world situations that affect them.
- 2000s
