Federal Judge Dismisses Consumer Antitrust Lawsuit Against Fanatics, Sports Leagues
A New York federal judge has dismissed a consumer class action lawsuit alleging that Fanatics, the NFL, NBA, MLB, their players associations, and OneTeam conspired to monopolize the sports trading card market.
The suit was brought by five individual collectors who claimed the consolidation of league licenses under Fanatics resulted in inflated card prices across the NFL, NBA, and MLB markets.
The judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate they had overpaid — or were likely to overpay — for cards sold by the defendants.
A key factor in the ruling was timing. When the lawsuit was originally filed, Panini still held active NFL and NBA licenses. Fanatics-owned Topps had not yet produced NBA-licensed cards and had not yet assumed the NFL license.
The court dismissed the case without prejudice. Plaintiffs have three weeks to refile if they can address the deficiencies identified in the ruling.
The dismissal applies only to the consumer class action. A separate antitrust lawsuit filed by Panini America against Fanatics remains active, with discovery scheduled to continue through the end of 2026.
Fanatics took over exclusive NFL trading card rights on April 1, 2026, ending Panini’s decade-long run as the league’s licensed card maker.
