Politics · India Bureau
US Supreme Court declines Clemente family's $45 million license plate rights case
The Supreme Court has refused to review a legal challenge by Roberto Clemente's sons over the use of their father's image on Puerto Rico's commemorative license plates. The decision leaves intact lower court rulings against the family's claims of unauthorized use of the baseball legend's likeness.
LSN India ·
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from the sons of baseball icon Roberto Clemente regarding disputed licensing rights over their father's image on special Puerto Rico license plates. The refusal to review the case means lower court decisions against the family will stand. The Clemente family had sought $45 million in damages, arguing that their father's likeness was used without proper consent for plates commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death. Clemente, widely regarded as one of baseball's greatest players, died in a plane crash in 1972 while on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua. Puerto Rico had issued special license plates featuring the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates player as part of the commemoration, prompting the legal dispute over image rights and compensation. The lower courts had previously rejected the family's claims, and the Supreme Court's decision not to review the case means those rulings remain the final legal outcome in this matter.