A federal judge has approved a $60 million combined settlement for the class-action lawsuit filed against video game developer and publisher EA Sports, the Collegiate Licensing Company, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
According to Steve Berman, attorney for the plaintiffs, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the landmark settlement Thursday.
The combined settlement accounts for the previously agreed upon legal actions to be taken by the three parties. In May 2014, both EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Company agreed to pay a sum of $40 million to the players who have appeared in the video games in question. Later on, the NCAA agreed to a $20 million settlement in June 2014, according to Polygon.
With the approval of the settlement, years of litigation involving the former NCAA players whose names and likeness have appeared in the games in question and the three parties set to make the settlement payouts will presumably draw to a conclusion.
Barring any objections to the approval of the $60 million settlement submitted within the 30-day waiting period, the payouts could be handed out starting September. The exact amount a particular player will receive will vary depending upon the nature of the appearances the student-athlete made in the video games and the number of times in which he did so in the time between May 2003 to September 2014. Berman also indicated that the maximum amount any player may receive from the settlement would be $7,026, according to ESPN.
At this point, over 20,000 claims have already been filed for the $60 million settlement.
Berman characterized the ruling as the first time student-athletes will receive rightful compensation for their image and likeness. He went on to say that the ruling is a landmark victory in the fight for student-athlete rights that is still ongoing.
Both the NCAA and EA Sports have yet to offer their official thoughts on the ruling.
