Categories
Headline NFL Players Recruiting Sports Agents Sports Law

Jordan Woy Sues Former Client/Employee Horace Smith

On October 6, 2010, Willis & Woy Sports Group, L.L.C., and Jordan Woy v. Horace Smith, et al. was filed in a district court in Dallas County, Texas.  In the petition, application for temporary restraining order, and application for injunctive relief, Jordan Woy alleges that former client and Willis & Woy employee, Horace Smith, used money appropriated for clients for his own personal use, forged players’ signatures on promissory notes, made unauthorized and extravagant expenditures supposedly on behalf of players represented by Willis & Woy, is breaching the covenant to not compete that was in his employment contract, etc.

Woy is also worried that Smith may use confidential lists and names of potential and actual clients (and other material that could be considered to be trade secrets), acquired while working at Willis & Woy, to contact and interfere with Willis & Woy’s business.

In this past, this website has covered Willis & Woy Sports Group for its regional recruiting strategy.

The petition, application for temporary restraining order, and application for injunctive relief is attached at the bottom of this post.  Of note, you can find a copy of Horace Smith’s employment contract starting on page 35 of the attachment.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.