Athletes Litigate for Reputational Harm Post-Gambling Investigation

Published on: April 29, 2024

Athletes are suing for damage to their reputations after being investigated for gambling.

A group of athletes from Iowa and Iowa State universities is suing state law enforcement because they feel an investigation into betting damaged their good names. Their lawsuit comes after a court threw out earlier charges against the athletes.

Several athletes faced charges of violating betting regulations and impersonating others. A few acknowledged their mistakes and paid fines. Meanwhile, Isaiah Lee and Jirehl Brock demonstrated that the evidence against them was gathered unlawfully and are now contesting these accusations.

Athletes believe their privacy rights were broken. They think it was illegal to track their betting with GeoComply software since there were no legal permissions to do so.

What the Athletes Want

The plaintiffs are after compensations for damages to their reputation. They list the following reasons for the lawsuit:

Violation of rights
Unlawful evidence collection
Damage to reputation

They seek a jury trial to rectify the perceived injustices.

The athletes' lawyers, Van Plumb and Matthew Boles, say that the situation has affected their clients' lives significantly. They believe that the athletes should have the chance to fix their reputations and get fair treatment.

The lawsuit seeks a trial by jury. It highlights the need to respect legal rights when enforcing the law. While it’s unclear what will happen, the athletes want to prove they did nothing wrong.