Law School alum sues Mike Tyson

Taras Kick is seeking $120 million for the 2 million people who paid to watch Tyson's fight against Holyfield. Taras Kick -- who graduated from the University's Law School in 1989 -- has charged boxer Mike Tyson with violating the contractual rights of almost 2 million pay-per-view subscribers during his June 28 fight against Evander Holyfield. The Kick Law Firm of Los Angeles -- which has been involved in numerous cases relating to boxing litigation -- filed a complaint on behalf of the plaintiff, pay-per-view subscriber Mark Egland, in Los Angeles County Superior Court July 1. The complaint states that customers purchased pay-per-view to watch a "complete heavyweight boxing bout that would last until the end of the agreed-upon number of rounds, a technical knockout of Tyson, Holyfield or both." Kick contends that Tyson deliberately caused himself to be disqualified from the fight by biting Holyfield's ears two separate times and therefore violated his contracts with Showtime Entertainment Television, the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the promoter as well as the subscribers to the pay-per-view event who were the intended beneficiaries of these contracts. "Because the fight contracts that Tyson had entered into were intended to benefit pay-per-view subscribers, every individual that ordered the fight has a legal right to pursue Tyson directly," Kick said. Egland claimed Tyson deprived the fans of the opportunity to see the complete bout they had paid to view. "If the entire event had only lasted one round and ended in a knockout, then we would have seen a complete fight and there wouldn't have been anything to complain about," Egland said. "Because Tyson bit Holyfield's ear once, and then again after having been warned of the consequences, it is clear that he deliberately tried to get himself disqualified and that is not what we all paid for." Kick explained that the current suit seeks to recover the $60 Egland paid to view the fight but said he expects it to be granted class-action status in early August. In a class action suit, lead plaintiff Egland would represent the almost 2 million people who watched the fight and the prosecution would seek to recover the $120 spent by people across the nation to view the match. While the class action suit is pending, Kick said he has asked the Nevada State Athletic Commission to hold the money intended to pay Tyson and deposit it with the clerk of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Kick said his firm made a conscious decision to sue only Tyson so the complaint would accurately reflect the feelings of every American that ordered the pay-per-view event. "Even though from a technically legal point of view a case against the cable companies and promoters probably can succeed, this case is about technical legalities," Kick explained. "It's about doing the right thing, and that's why we named only Mike Tyson in our lawsuit." Tyson's lead counsel Eckley Keach was publicly advised of the class-action lawsuit on July 1 and took a copy of the complaint. Tyson's lawyers now has 40 says to respond to the allegations against the defendant. "Tyson's lawyers have only one right way to handle this and that is to address our law firm and have Tyson finally show some respect to all the fans who bought the fight and want their money back," Kick said.

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