Angela A. Smedley
Partner
Chair, Pro Bono Committee
Angela focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and has successfully defended large financial services clients against individual and class actions at the trial and appellate level. She also employs her years of sports litigation experience in representing professional sports unions, and athletes, and agencies in labor arbitrations, and complex disputes in a variety of forums. She serves as Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and Co-Chair of the Black Lawyers Network. She is also a member of the firm’s Opportunity & Inclusion Committee.
Key Matters
Complex Commercial Litigation – Financial Services Industry
- Angela focuses her commercial litigation practice on the representation of financial services clients in both federal and state court actions. Angela is currently defending several large financial institutions in consumer class action and individual lawsuits spanning over a dozen jurisdictions.
- Angela has also represented several high-profile media and retail organizations against defamation and negligence claims.
Sports Litigation
- Simidele Adeagbo v. IBSF and IOC – Angela represents elite bobsleigh athlete Simidele Adeagbo before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a gender discrimination case against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation and the International Olympic Committee.
- Relevent Sports v. U.S. Soccer Federation and FIFA – Angela represents soccer promoter Relevent Sports, LLC in a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to enjoin the U.S. Soccer Federation from continuing to block official season international soccer matches from being played in the United States.
- Major League Baseball Player/Agent Arbitrations. Angela has represented several high-profile baseball players and agents in arbitrations under the Major League Baseball Players Association’s Regulations Governing Player Agents.
- Searcy v. National Football League Players Association, et al. Angela has represented the NFLPA in actions brought by a prospective NFL agent challenging the Union’s Regulations Governing Contract Advisors.
- Blake Leeper v. IAAF/World Athletics – Angela represented double-amputee 400m sprinter Blake Leeper before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an eligibility dispute with World Athletics (formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations).
- Ezekiel Elliott v. NFL – Angela served as counsel for Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL Players Association in federal court proceedings challenging the six-game suspension imposed on Elliott by the NFL for an alleged violation of the League’s Personal Conduct Policy.
- Tom Brady v. NFL (“Deflategate”) – Angela represented New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in his appeal of his four-game suspension imposed by the NFL for his alleged role in the so-called “deflategate” scandal.
- Adrian Peterson v. NFL – Angela represented NFL running back Adrian Peterson in arbitration and court proceedings challenging his suspension under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
- Greg Hardy v. NFL – Angela represented Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy in his appeal of his 10-game suspension for alleged violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
- Ray Rice v. NFL – Angela represented NFL running back Ray Rice in his appeal of his indefinite suspension imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
- Ray Rice v. Baltimore Ravens – Angela represented Ray Rice in a grievance proceeding against the Baltimore Ravens challenging Rice’s termination by the Club.
- New England Patriots v. Jonathan Fanene – Angela represented NFL Defensive Lineman Jonathan Fanene in an action brought by the New England Patriots to recover Fanene’s signing bonus.
- Jonathan Vilma v. Goodell – Angela represented the National Football League Players Association and NFL players Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, and Will Smith in connection with federal court proceedings in the Eastern District of Louisiana challenging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s arbitration award affirming the players’ discipline for their alleged roles in a “pay-for-performance/bounty” program at the New Orleans Saints.
- New Orleans Saints “Pay-for-Performance/Bountygate” Litigations – Angela represented the National Football League Players Association and NFL players Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, and Will Smith in arbitrations under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) challenging Commissioner Goodell’s imposition of discipline against the players for their alleged participation in a “pay-for-performance/bounty” program.
- White v. NFL (Collusion) – Angela represented the NFLPA in a proceeding against the NFL and its member clubs arising under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
- NBPA v. NBA (Bird Rights) – Angela represented the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of NBA players Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups, and J.J. Hickson in arbitration proceedings that determined the retention of “Bird” rights under the CBA for veteran free agents who change teams via the NBA’s waiver procedure.
- NBA v. National Basketball Players Association – While on secondment to the NBPA, Angela represented the NBPA, Derek Fisher, Keyon Dooling, James Jones, Matt Bonner, Maurice Evans, Roger Mason, Jr., Chris Paul, Theo Ratliff, Etan Thomas, Amar’e Stoudemire, Mike Dunleavy, James Fredette, and Charles Jenkins in a declaratory judgment action filed by the NBA.
Antitrust, Class Action, and Multi-District Litigation
- In re: Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation – Angela represented large corporations in multiple cases in the massive multidistrict automotive parts class action litigation in the Eastern District of Michigan, one of the largest series of class actions in U.S. history.
- In re: Credit Default Swaps Litigation – Angela represented a large investment bank in its defense against antitrust claims in the credit default swap industry.