Court Holds Fairness Hearing for Continuation of Injunctive Relief Settlement in NCAA Name, Image and Likeness Litigation

Nov 06, 2025 | View Case Page
Law firm that secured historic class-action settlement spotlights future-facing aspects of settlement fairness

SEATTLE – A federal judge held a fairness hearing today for the historic $22 billion settlement in In re: College Athlete NIL [Name, Image and Likeness] Litigation, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman representing hundreds of thousands of NCAA college athletes.

The hearing focused on objections to continuation of the settlement’s terms moving forward for another year, which have revolutionized college sports. The settlement was originally approved on June 6, 2025. Under the settlement terms, each year, incoming new college athletes receive notice of the settlement and the right to object to being subject to its terms before they become NCAA athletes. Today’s hearing was the first of those hearings for new athletes.

“The reason our firm began this litigation 20 years ago was to finally level the playing field for college athletes, and we believe this settlement not only improves the present landscape, but paves the way for the rights of future athletes to come,” said Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman who serves as co-lead counsel in the NIL litigation. “Each year new college athletes will have the opportunity to object, allowing flexibility.”

“More than 56,000 notices were mailed to new athletes, and of those, only seven athletes objected, demonstrating overwhelming support from this new class of athletes,” Berman added.

The settlement resolved three pending antitrust lawsuits, House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA, and Carter v. NCAA. As part of the settlement, the NCAA and its conferences will pay more than $22.78 billion to college athletes over a 10-year period, eliminate rules prohibiting schools from making direct payments to athletes, and dramatically expand the availability of compensation and benefits available to athletes. This includes eliminating restrictions on the number of available athletic scholarships across all Division I sports.

College athletes across a variety of sports have secured monumental, life-changing deals in name, image and likeness compensation. Recent examples include Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood reaching a NIL deal worth at least $10 million over four years.

According to ESPN, more than 8,300 name, image and likeness deals worth nearly $80 million have been reported by the new College Sports Commission as of September. Online NIL deal trackers report dozens of monthly deals with global brands including Nike, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz and others.

Read more about Hagens Berman’s settlement on behalf of NCAA college athletes.

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About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation law firm with a tenacious drive for achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. Since its founding in 1993, the firm’s determination has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

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