PGA Tour

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and its governor had argued they had sovereign immunity in the legal battle.

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In the ongoing legal battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the tour recorded a significant legal victory Thursday relative to the scope of discovery.

In a decision made February 9 but only made public last Thursday afternoon in California, Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen ruled that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, must comply with subpoenas filed by the PGA Tour in August 2022 relating to LIV’s antitrust lawsuit against the tour. Van Keulen wrote that “PIF is not a mere investor in LIV; it is the moving force behind the founding, funding, oversight and operation of LIV.” Hence, the PGA Tour is entitled to discovery from PIF and ... In the ongoing legal battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the tour recorded a significant legal victory relative to the scope of discovery.

The decision in a case involving the LIV Golf series could reveal details of the operations of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

In a November filing, the lawyers said the wealth fund “does not control LIV’s day-to-day-operations” and included a sworn statement from al-Rumayyan, who said it provided only “high level oversight” of LIV. Much of van Keulen’s decision about the subpoenas rebuffed the wealth fund’s legal arguments; she concluded, for instance, that the wealth fund’s work in the United States triggered a commercial activity exception under a law that deals with foreign sovereign immunity. Moreover, Peters told the judge that al-Rumayyan had “personally assured golfers” that the wealth fund would back them legally and that al-Rumayyan had been involved in regular meetings about LIV Golf. John Bash, a lawyer for the wealth fund, told van Keulen that deposing al-Rumayyan would be analogous to the United States Treasury secretary being susceptible to the demands of a Saudi court if a company owned by the American government faced litigation in Riyadh. Judge Beth Labson Freeman, who will also consider any bid by the wealth fund to overturn van Keulen’s order, has not ruled on the request. Lawyers for Elon Musk subpoenaed al-Rumayyan for testimony in a The PGA Tour, facing perhaps the greatest competitive threat in its history, and its supporters complain that the rebel series is promoting a diluted version of the game and helping Saudi Arabia distract from its record on human rights. They knew it was going to involve broadcast agreements, which is central to the antitrust case, which they control and had the ability to either approve or disapprove of.” They knew it was going to involve sponsor issues on the antitrust side, which they control. But the signings of headline players — including Sergio García, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith — have revealed only so much about LIV Golf’s ambitions and the wealth fund’s motives for investing billions of dollars in an enterprise that They knew it was going to involve player agreements, which they control. They knew it was going to be brought by a subsidiary that they fund completely.

A California court rejected LIV's claim of sovereign immunity, clearing the way for the PGA Tour to learn a lot more about LIV, its funding and the people ...

Lawyers for the Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, had sought to quash subpoenas claiming sovereign immunity. U.S. Magistrate Judge ...

LIV Golf has announced the addition of two more players for the second season — Mito Pereira of Chile, who is No. Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of Golf Saudi and managing director of LIV Golf, was transitioned out of that role last month. The PGA Tour suspended the players for violating its membership regulations, which include requiring a release to play in overseas events. The PGA Tour has responded to LIV’s threat by created “elevated” events that offer $20 million in prize money, such as the Genesis Invitational this week in Los Angeles. “PIF's actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce.” Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau were among 11 players who originally filed the antitrust lawsuit in August.

A judge dealt LIV Golf a significant legal blow to on Thursday night, ruling the PGA Tour could compel documents from Saudi PIF officials.

Last summer, she dealt LIV another courtroom loss when she ruled that three LIV golfers — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — [were ineligible to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs](https://golf.com/news/liv-first-court-battle-winners-losers/). A third option, of course, would be for LIV to withdraw the lawsuit altogether, ending litigation and any hope of the kind of legal discovery that could shift LIV’s standing with the Tour, which has suspended its players indefinitely. Should the two parties fail to cooperate with the deposition, they could be held in contempt of court, a decision that could have grave consequences for LIV’s standing with the court in this case. The ruling could mark a watershed moment in the ongoing legal battle between LIV and the Tour over the Tour’s purported monopoly status. [Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Sovereign_Immunities_Act), a 1976 law that defines the role of the U.S. Al-Rumayyan and the PIF had sought protection from the Tour’s legal probes — which threaten to unearth information about the highly secretive fund — on the grounds of “sovereign immunity,” a premise rejected by judge Susan Van Keulen’s ruling.

U.S. District Judge Susan van Keulen dismissed claims of foreign sovereign immunity made by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund in the antitrust case ...

In reaction to the antitrust lawsuit by LIV Golf, the PGA Tour responded with a counterclaim of its own. "PIF's actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce." District Judge Susan van Keulen dismissed claims of foreign sovereign immunity made by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund in the antitrust case between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf on Thursday.