Judge turns down MLB players' union request to confirm arbitrator decision against Bad Bunny firm

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League Baseball Players Association lost in its attempt to get a federal judge to confirm an arbitration decision denying an attempt by an agent at Bad Bunny’s Rimas Sports firm to block his decertification by the union.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman wrote Thursday that the arbitrator’s decision was not a final ruling in the case and not subject to judicial confirmation. The discipline remained in place while an appeal is heard by a different arbitrator.

The union revoked the certification of agent William Arroyo and denied the applications for certification by Rimas co-owners Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda on April 10, citing alleged violations of agent regulations. The three were prohibited from reapplying for certification for five years, and the union issued a $400,000 fine and said certified agents could not associate with Rimas, the three individuals and any associated entities.

Rimas was founded in 2021 with the goal of representing Latin players.

The players’ association claimed Rimas employees had been “offering and providing gifts to players they did not represent including, but not limited to, VIP concert tickets to `Bad Bunny’ concerts and suite access to a Phoenix Suns game.” The union also said the agents violated regulations “by providing, causing to be provided, or promising to provide, money and/or other things of value to players for the purpose of inducing or encouraging players to use their services as agents.”

Arbitrator Michael H. Gottesman on April 19 denied a request for a temporary restraining order against the union while arbitrator Ruth M. Moscovitch hears an appeal by Arroyo, Assad and Miranda on the merits of the discipline. In addition, Moscovitch denied a stay motion on July 7.

The union filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan for a motion to confirm Gottesman’s decision.

“Arbitrator Gottesman’s three-page, emailed decision is not a confirmable award,” Liman wrote in a 17-page decision. “The ruling, by its terms, did not finally and conclusively resolve all of the issues submitted by the parties as part of the arbitration.”

Rimas Sports, under its corporate name Diamond Sports LLC, sued the union in federal court in San Juan, Puerto Rico, accusing it of violating Puerto Rico’s general tort claim and tortious interference with its contracts to represent players.

Rimas declined comment on the decision, spokeswoman María de Lourdes Martínez said. The union did not have an immediate response on a request for comment.