Lawsuits alleging that the May 2 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a fraud and that pay-per-view money should be returned will be heard by a federal judge in Los Angeles, according to court papers obtained Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner must first decide whether dozens of similar lawsuits filed in May in several states should be granted class- action status.
A consolidated case will be heard in Los Angeles because that is where Pacquiao allegedly injured his shoulder while training for the bout, which he lost by unanimous decision.
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READ MORE: Lawsuit alleges Manny Pacquaio didn’t disclose injury before Mayweather fight
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According to the plaintiffs, the injury wasn’t revealed until the fight was over, after about 4.4 million viewers had each paid up to $100 to watch it on pay-per-view.
Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank, are named in all of the suits, and most include Mayweather, his promoters and cable companies HBO and Showtime.
The cable companies have said they earned more than $400 million from the fight, and the boxers each earned more than $100 million.
Pacquiao and Top Rank have responded in court filings that the allegations are without merit.
According to a complaint filed in Los Angeles on behalf of Paul Mahoney, “Pacquiao’s injury unquestionably materially, significantly and negatively affected the quality of the product.”
— Wire reports