Important Notice Concerning Legal Disputes and Law Suits

 0013 – Guidelines Concerning Legal Disputes

 PURPOSE:    To encourage reasonable discussions between actual parties to legal disputes regarding USSSA sanctioned activities, to prevent additional disputes between parties to legal disputes, to limit contact and communication between parties to a legal dispute when legal counsel to all parties are not present, and to establish procedures for the suspension from USSSA activities of those who are involved in legal disputes with the USSSA.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Any Participant, Official, Team, Sponsor, Related Party (including but not limited to parents, spouses and children of Participants, Officials, etc.) or any other person who threatens in writing a legal action against USSSA, USSSA Directors, USSSA Board of Directors Members, or USSSA Affiliates regarding a matter that is in any way associated with USSSA or has a lawyer contact on their behalf USSSA, a USSSA Director, a member of the USSSA Board of Directors, or USSSA Affiliates regarding a matter of disagreement that is in any way associated with USSSA shall be automatically suspended from all USSSA activities until such threatened legal actions or legal disagreements are resolved to the satisfaction of the USSSA Board of Directors. In addition, that Person’s (or any related Party’s) team and each of its members and other Persons related to that team may be suspended from all USSSA activities until such threatened legal actions or legal disagreements are resolved to the satisfaction of the USSSA Board of Directors.
  2. Threatening legal action or threatening to retain a lawyer regarding a USSSA related dispute in a verbal communication with a USSSA Director, Board Member or Official is unsportsmanlike conduct that may result in suspension or removal from a USSSA activity.

Excerpted from Article XVII of USSSA Constitution

 Section 7 (a) Filing a Law Suit. Any person who files a law suit after December 15, 2007 (or who has previously filed such a suit and such suit has not been resolved prior to December 15, 2007) against the USSSA, any of its Directors, Board Members or affiliates regarding a matter that is in any way associated with the USSSA activities, is suspended permanently from all USSSA activities upon filing of such a law suit. A Person for purposes of this paragraph includes any natural person, the parents or guardians of a natural person who is a minor on behalf  of  whom  a  lawsuit  is  filed,  any  Entity  (including,  but  not  limited  to

corporations, non-profit organizations, partnerships, trusts and limited liability companies) recognized under state or federal law, any beneficial or other owner of an Entity that brings suit under state or federal law and anyone that controls or is part of the group that controls the Entity. To the extent that the terms of this paragraph are unclear or ambiguous, the USSSA Board of Directors in its sole and absolute discretion shall determine their meaning in a way that excludes those who might have participated in any law suit against the USSSA.

In its sole and absolute discretion, the USSSA Board of Directors may commute  a suspension under this paragraph, if it is determined in the Board of Directors sole and absolute discretion that there is no reason to believe that the Person will attempt to resolve any future dispute by the hiring of lawyers or the filing of a law suit or that the suspension is in any other way in- appropriate for the best interests of the USSSA.

To the extent that application of this section 7(a) would violate state, local or federal law, this section 7(a) shall not apply.

APPROVAL DATE: March 26, 2004

REVISED DATE:     December 15, 2007

REVISED DATE:     May 16, 2014