Court throws out caddie lawsuit against PGA Tour

By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Caddies have lost their class-action lawsuit against the PGA Tour claiming they were forced to wear bibs that made them “human billboards.”

The ruling came just over one year after the lawsuit, which grew to include 168 caddies, was filed in federal court in northern California.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the caddies cannot refile their complaint.

Caddies have been complaining about their treatment by the tour. They went after the tour over wearing bibs, which include the logo of the corporate sponsor that week. They said they effectively were being used for advertising without compensation.

Chhabria, however, found no merit. He ruled that the tour’s longtime policy requiring caddies to wear bibs did not implicate federal antitrust or trademark law.

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