Saga Ends as CrossFit Settles Legal Case with NSCA

CrossFit LLC wrapped up its six-year-long legal battle with the National Strength and Conditioning Association in a private settlement, according to Andrew Weinstein, CrossFit’s Head of Communications and Public Policy. The settlement, which was made in private, was not issued by Judge Janis L. Sammartino of the  U.S. District Court of San Diego and therefore not in the public record.  

• Weinstein: “The case has been settled in CrossFit’s favor. The payment terms are confidential.  We are very pleased to have this matter resolved, so we can focus on our mission of building the world’s leading platform for health, happiness and performance.”

The news comes on the heels of Law360’s reporting that the NSCA and its insurer, National Casualty Co, reached a deal on Monday. The two were locked in a legal battle since July 2018 when National Casualty sued the NSCA so they were no longer liable to cover NSCA’s damages. 

Why it matters: Essentially Judge Sammartino’s ruling a little more than a year ago that the NSCA’s actions constituted “extensive perjury,” and called them “inherently untrustworthy” was essentially the nail in the coffin. Now the legal battle is officially over and CrossFit can go on to doing other things with its time and money. 

Some background: CrossFit’s original lawsuit dates back to 2014 when they sued the NSCA over a study that falsely claimed that CrossFit was dangerous. 

• Then in 2016, the court found that “the NSCA fabricated the injury data and published them in [the Journal of Strength and Conditioning]…with the intention of protecting its market share in the fitness industry and diminishing the burgeoning popularity of the CrossFit program.”
• In May 2017, the court awarded CrossFit $400,00 in attorneys’ fees.
• In July 2018, NSCA’s insurer filed a lawsuit against the NSCA arguing that because the court had found intent to deceive they were no longer liable to cover the NSCA. 
• In December 2019, the judge awarded CrossFit just shy of $4 million in legal fees alone. 

More on this:

• “Judge Awards Nearly $4 Million to CrossFit in Legal Fees”
• December 4, 2019 – Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Plaintiff CrossFit, Inc.’s Renewed Motion for Terminating Sanctions
• “The Final Saga in CrossFit v. NSCA Legal Battle: “THE RACE IS OVER”
• “Federal Judge Delivers Another Blow to NSCA”
• “NSCA Drops Defamation Suit Amid “Extraordinary” Legal Costs”