Federal Court Allows Lawsuit Against World Sailing

Published on June 8th, 2016

San Francisco, CA (June 8, 2016) – A federal court has denied a request by an international America’s Cup jury to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a sailor punished before the 34th America’s Cup.

Matt Mitchell, formerly with Oracle Team USA, sued the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) – now called World Sailing – and its five-member international jury in September, asking that his penalty from the 2013 America’s Cup be vacated.

Mitchell, a grinder from New Zealand, was suspended for the first four races of the regatta for what the jury said was his role in Oracle Team USA’s illegal modification of boats in warm-up regattas. The suspension effectively ended Mitchell’s America’s Cup career.

Mitchell didn’t sail in the 2013 Match in which Oracle stunned Emirates Team New Zealand by winning the final eight races to retain the Auld Mug. – Associated Press