EA and NCAA lawsuit ends with $60 million settlement

Earlier this month the final documents for the NCAA player likeness lawsuit against EA were filed for final approval from judge Claudia Wilken. The approval has come in and EA will be paying $60 million to the student athletes whose likeness they used.

This settlement is up from the $40 million that EA agreed to in September. This does not mean each athlete will receive a huge sum of money, most athletes who appeared in the games will be eligible to receive $74-230 – some will see a couple thousand dollars.

“We are pleased with the decision from Judge Wilken to approve the $60 million combined settlement that will be distributed to hundreds of student-athletes,” said  former Nebraska football student-athlete Sam Keller's attorney, Steve Berman. “This landmark decision marks the first time that student-athletes will be paid for their likeness or image, and stands as a huge victory in the ongoing fight for student-athletes’ rights.

Keller filed the lawsuit in 2009 against EA for using his likeness as well as the likeness of other student-athletes. It's great to see the case come to a close.