Pasadena wins $400K in fees for Rose Bowl name rights case

Sheppard Mullin won $408,913 in attorney fees for the city of Pasadena in defending a complaint by the Tournament of Roses over who owns the rights to the name "Rose Bowl."

U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. awarded the fees on March 17, slicing 10%, or about $45,000, from what the attorneys asked for. Birotte had granted the defense motion to strike claims of slander and other allegations last July.

Kent Raygor of Sheppard Mullin represented the city in the lawsuit that was filed last year after the Rose Bowl football game was moved to Arlington, Texas. Pasadena Tourn. of Roses Ass'n v. City of Pasadena, 21-55858 (C.D. filed Feb. 4, 2021.)

The Tournament has a deadline to file the opening brief for its appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on March 24, according to Birotte's order.

"Filing this lawsuit was not something we wanted to do, but protecting our brand, trademarks and intellectual property was important to the long-term viability of our Rose Bowl Game," Director of Communications Candy Carlson commented in an email.

"The City's concession and the Court's acknowledgment that we own all rights to the Rose Bowl Game and its marks accomplished this goal as we were successful in protecting that intellectual property," she said.

Declining to talk about the appeal, Carlson stated, "We look forward to putting this phase behind us, and moving forward with our long-standing partnership with the city officials. At this time, our focus is solely on hosting the best Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 2, 2023 ... for the residents of Pasadena and the world."