In a decision that should delight sports junkies, a judge in Manhattan has rejected an early bid to squash a proposed antitrust class action over how professional baseball and hockey games are televised.
Southern District Judge Shira Scheindlin (See Profile), in a 53-page ruling released on Dec. 5, refused to dismiss claims that the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball stifle competition by blacking out games in certain geographic regions. The judge did, however, toss some claims against codefendants Comcast Corporation and DirecTV.
