FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2023 filing
USL League One litigation history
What USL League One disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 3 lists the material legal actions a franchisor must report; Item 4 covers bankruptcy. This is the franchisor's own disclosure, not a court record, and not legal advice.
Items 3 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance
What the filing discloses
- Cases disclosed
- 3
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases
- None stated
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer
- Filing year
- 2023
- Disclosures cover the prior ten years
Extracted from the 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document
Item 3: litigation
Three discrimination cases filed against USL by Ricky Hill: (1) Case 1:21-CV-06278 (N.D. Ill.) - alleging discrimination in hiring for Saint Louis FC head coaching position, served January 10, 2022; (2) Case 1:22-cv-02961 (N.D. Ill.) - alleging discrimination in hiring across multiple USL Championship and MLS clubs, served July 26, 2022, Motion to Dismiss pending; (3) EEOC charge regarding Las Vegas Lights head coaching position, filed November 16, 2021, terminated by EEOC on March 7, 2022. USL denies all allegations and contends it does not make hiring/firing decisions for individual clubs.
Item 3 (litigation) · 3 matters disclosed · 1 pending listed
Litigation cases
Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor
Pending (1)
Ricky Hill v. AMB Sports & Entertainment, LLC, et al.
pendingBrought by a third party · United Soccer Leagues, LLC (USL, our parent) · United States District Court for the N.D. Illinois · 1:22-cv-02961
“… United States District Court for the N.D. Illinois, Case No. 1:22-cv-02961 On or around July 26, 2022, United Soccer Leagues, LLC (“USL”) was served with the lawsuit listed above.”Page 11 of the 2023 FDD, Item 3
Concluded (1)
Ricky Hill v. Las Vegas Lights and United Soccer Leagues, LLC
concludedBrought by a third party · United Soccer Leagues, LLC (USL, our parent) · filed 2021 · EEOC
“… On or around November 16, 2021, United Soccer Leagues, LLC (“USL”) received notice that an EEOC charge had been filed against it by a man named Ricky Hill.”Page 11 of the 2023 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “the EEOC terminated its processing of the above-referenced charges.”
Status not stated in the filing (1)
Ricky Hill v. SLSG Pro, LLC (f/d/b/a St. Louis FC) and United Soccer Leagues, LLC
Brought by a third party · United Soccer Leagues, LLC (USL, our parent) · United States District Court for the N.D. Illinois · 1:21-CV-06278
“… United States District Court for the N.D. Illinois, Case No. 1:21-CV-06278 On or around January 10, 2022, United Soccer Leagues, LLC (“USL”) was served with the lawsuit listed above.”Page 11 of the 2023 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- No bankruptcy/going-concern; audited
The verdict grade is FranchiseVerdict's editorial assessment across SBA loan performance, unit growth, revenue and disclosure signals. It is not investment advice.
Before you weigh a lawsuit
How to read Item 3
A franchisor must disclose pending actions and any material civil action involving the franchise relationship, plus convictions or civil judgments for fraud, unfair or deceptive practices, or franchise-law violations, going back ten years. A case the franchisor brought against a franchisee counts too. Item 3 does not include every dispute: settled claims below the materiality line and matters resolved in private arbitration can be absent.
Questions worth asking current and former franchisees, using the contact list in Item 20:
- Were you, or anyone you know in the system, party to a dispute with the franchisor?
- Was it resolved by settlement, arbitration or a court, and on what terms?
- Has the number of disputes gone up or down since you signed?