NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge wrote the U.S. Soccer Federation failed to show it made a settlement proposal or demand to a promoter who sued over FIFA’s decision to block a country from hosting league matches involving teams from other nations.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses in Manhattan issued a two-page order Wednesday resetting a settlement conference for Sept. 24. The conference had been scheduled for Monday but was postponed at the request of Jeffrey L. Kessler, a lawyer for promoter Relevent Sports, because of a scheduling conflict.
In setting the original conference date on May 15, Moses had written each side was required to “convey to each opposing party at least one good-faith settlement demand or offer” ahead of a a July 22 deadline to submit a confidential settlement letter to her.
“Plaintiff’s letter reports that plaintiff sent a written settlement proposal to defendant in May, and that the parties held a discussion in June, but that plaintiff received no response to its proposal,” she wrote. “Defendant’s letter assures the court that defendant is ‘focused’ on a resolution, but conspicuously fails to identify any settlement offer actually made to plaintiff.”
She ordered sides to engage in “at least one good-faith settlement discussion” and “each party convey to the opposing party at least one good-faith settlement demand or offer. Past settlement negotiations may not be relied upon to satisfy this requirement.”
Moses ordered the sides to submit a joint supplemental settlement letter to her by Sept. 20.
Kessler and Lawrence E. Buterman and Christopher S. Yates, lawyers who represent the USSF in the suit, did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Relevent sued in 2019 after FIFA disrupted its plan to host a Spanish league match between Barcelona and Girona at Miami Gardens, Florida, and the USSF refused permission to sanction a league match between two teams from Ecuador.
FIFA was dismissed as a defendant on May 7 after saying it will consider changes to its policy. One week later, FIFA established a working group to recommend potential changes.
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