Cardtoons, L.C. v. Major League Baseball Players Association (10th Circuit, April 7, 2000)

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Needs review. This document is in the archive but has not yet been confirmed against a second independent source. Per editorial standards, only verified documents should be cited as authoritative. Use this page for reference, but cross-check against the linked source(s) before citing.

Cardtoons L.C. v. MLBPA — 10th Circuit decision April 7, 2000 (208 F.3d 885). The subsequent ruling in the Cardtoons saga, after the 10th Circuit's 1996 reversal in favor of Cardtoons (95 F.3d 959). This 2000 ruling addresses whether MLBPA's pre-litigation cease-and-desist letter to Cardtoons constituted protected petitioning activity under Noerr-Pennington doctrine — and therefore was not actionable as tortious interference with Cardtoons' business — or was non-petitioning conduct subject to tort liability. The court ruled the cease-and-desist letter was protected petitioning activity. 16 pages, en banc.

Background

Second stage of the Cardtoons saga. The Noerr-Pennington holding is itself a separate doctrinal point — pre-litigation cease-and-desist letters are protected First Amendment petitioning activity. Companion to the district court ruling (in archive) and the 1996 10th Cir. reversal (still on wantlist).

Key provisions

  • [Detailed content review deferred.]

Notable provisions

[Not transcribed.]

References

  1. Primary source: ca10.washburnlaw.edu — U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Cir. (Federal Reporter), retrieved 2026-05-17.
  2. Confirmation source: ca10.washburnlaw.edu — Washburn Law / 10th Cir. opinions archive. 16-page 10th Circuit opinion. The subsequent ruling in the Cardtoons saga after the 1996 reversal — addresses MLBPA's cease-and-desist letter as Noerr-Pennington protected petitioning vs. tortious interference.
  3. File fingerprint: SHA256 25eb04bc2981ada8c5b170e1ebd045be716390f02e12509d5aecbbf6fc763dc3.

Evidence trail

Per archive editorial standards §1.3 and §1.4, verified documents require two independent confirmation sources and an archive.org snapshot. This panel is the integrity record the archive holds for this document.

File integrity

SHA256
25eb04bc2981ada8c5b170e1ebd045be716390f02e12509d5aecbbf6fc763dc3
Filename
2000-04-07_caselaw_cardtoons-v-mlbpa-10th-cir.pdf
Format
PDF · 16 pp · 233 KB
Retrieved
2026-05-17 by claude/cowork-9167cb28 (uploaded by alex)
Primary URL
https://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2000/04/98-5061.htm

Confirmation sources (1)

Publisher Retrieved URL Notes
Washburn Law / 10th Cir. opinions archive 2026-05-17 https://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2000/04/98-5061.htm 16-page 10th Circuit opinion. The subsequent ruling in the Cardtoons saga after the 1996 reversal — addresses MLBPA's cease-and-desist letter as Noerr-Pennington protected petitioning vs. tortious interference.

Most recent status change

needs_review on 2026-05-17 by claude/cowork-9167cb28.

PDF acquired via Washburn upload.

Source provenance