OVERVIEW
Sathya is an acclaimed high-stakes litigator with nearly two decades of experience in antitrust, commercial, and sports and entertainment litigation. He advises a diverse roster of clients across numerous industries, helping each navigate complex litigation and achieve dispute resolution. Sathya prides himself on his hands-on approach to litigation, working with select teams to secure favorable results at the trial and appellate levels and deliver outstanding client service.
Sathya is known for his “adept skill set,” “penchant for high-stakes litigation,” and “close attention to detail” (Law360). The Legal 500 has recommended Sathya as a “star” who “works on the most complex cases brilliantly.” Lawdragon consistently ranks Sathya among the top 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in the United States. Sathya’s litigation achievements on behalf of clients have also earned him numerous awards, including “Litigation of the Year” (Global Competition Review); “Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice” (American Antitrust Institute); “Legal Lion” (Law360); and finalist for “Lawyer of the Year” (Global Competition Review).
Among his notable representations, Sathya scored a historic victory at trial and on appeal for college athletes in the landmark O’Bannon v. NCAA antitrust litigation, which resulted in permanent injunctive relief and billions of dollars in benefits (in perpetuity) for college athletes. The O’Bannon litigation sparked a national dialogue about equity in college sports that continues to this day.
Leading newspapers and media outlets frequently call on Sathya for his expertise in complex litigation, antitrust law, and sports law, and he has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg, USA Today, Reuters, Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal, Railway Age, Business Insider, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Al Jazeera America, and Law360, among other publications.
Sathya has also served as an adjunct law professor at The George Washington University Law School and has delivered guest lectures at Yale Law School and The University of Oregon School of Law. He is a frequent speaker at American Bar Association meetings, academic symposia, and antitrust gatherings.
At Hausfeld, Sathya serves as the firm’s Conflicts and Compliance partner in addition to managing the firm’s marketing efforts (US) and overseeing professional development programs for attorneys. He is also a member of the firm’s Global Business Development and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committees. Working towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is paramount for Sathya, who is an active member of our Disability Rights working group.
Clients
Representative clients include:
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
- CRH Americas
- Denver Film Society
- Ed O’Bannon
- Lotte Global Logistics
- Peabody Energy
- PepsiCo
- Run Gum
- Sims Metal Management
- The Avalon Theatre
- Trammo
EDUCATION
Cornell Law School, J.D. (editor, Cornell Law Review)
Vassar College, B.A. (honors)
BAR ADMISSIONS
California
District of Columbia
AFFILIATIONS
American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, Co-Chair of the Trade, Sports, and Professional Associations Committee (2023-2024)
American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, Vice Chair, Exemptions & Immunities Committee (2022 -2023)
American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, Vice Chair, Trade, Sports and Professional Associations Committee (2020-2023)
American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, Young Lawyer Representative, Transportation and Energy Industries Committee (2013 – 2014)
American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, Special Committee on Section, Division, and Forum Coordination Antitrust Representative (2013-2014)
American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, Member (2010 - Present)
American Bar Foundation, Elected Fellow
Law 360, Sports Editorial Advisory Board (2016-2018)
The George Washington University Law School, Professorial Lecturer in Law (2019)
WHAT OTHERS SAY
American Antitrust Institute
- Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice: an honor he received as part of the O’Bannon v. NCAA case team in 2015.
Concurrences
- Winner, Academic: Private Enforcement category in 2015 for his co-authored article titled, “Antitrust Class Proceedings – Then and Now”
Global Competition Review
- Finalist, Lawyer of the Year – Under 40 in 2017
- Litigation of the Year - Non-Cartel Prosecution: an honor he received as part of the O’Bannon v. NCAA case team in 2015.
International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Amicus Service Award in 2024
Law360
- Named one of Law360's Legal Lions of the Week in June 2024 ("Susman Godfrey LLP, Hausfeld LLP and Langer Grogan & Diver PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a California federal jury awarded $4.7 billion to two classes of DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers in an antitrust trial against the National Football League and its teams.")
- Named one of just five top lawyers under the age of 40 leading the class-action field in 2014.
- Sathya has an "adept skill set," a "penchant for high-stakes litigation," and "close attention to detail." (Law360, 2014)
Lawdragon
- 500 Leading Litigators in America in 2025
- 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers since 2019
The Legal 500
- Recommended Lawyer, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff since 2017
- A "young star" who "works on the most complex cases brilliantly." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff, 2017)
Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyer, Antitrust Litigation in 2022
- Rising Star, Antitrust Litigation from 2016-2021
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal)
- Recommended Lawyer, Sports & Gaming since 2023
PUBLICATIONS
Publications:
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- Rule of Reason Handbook (ABA), Contributing editor
- "The Ethical Evolution of the NCAA," Association of Corporate Counsel Docket (cover article Jan. 2020), Author
- Antitrust Law Developments (ABA), Contributing author
- "Antitrust Class Proceedings – Then and Now," Research in Law and Economics (Vol. 26, 2014), Co-Authored with Michael. D. Hausfeld, Godron C. Rausser, Gareth J. Macartnery and Michael P. Lehmann
- "'CAT'-astrophe: The Failure of 'Follow-On' Actions," International Cartel Workshop, Presented by the ABA Section of Antitrust Law & The International Bar Association (Feb. 1-3, 2012), Co-Authored with Michael D. Hausfeld, Brent W. Landau
- "The Novelty of Wal-Mart v. Dukes," American Bar Association, Business Torts & Civil RICO Committee, Business Torts & RICO News (Vol. 8, Issue 1, Fall 2011), Co-Authored with Brian A. Ratner
- "E-Discovery Today: The Fault Lies Not In Our Rules…," 4 FED. CTS. LAW REV. 2 (2011), Hausfeld LLP and Milberg LLP
- "Parents, Be Aware of the Behavior of Your Children: Intra-Enterprise Accountability and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in the European Union," 2010 ABA/IBA International Cartel Workshop (Feb. 10-12, 2010), Co-Authored with Michael D. Hausfeld
- "The United States Heightens Plaintiff’s Burden of Proof on Class Certification: A Response," Global Competition Litig. Rev., (Volume 2 Issue 4/2009), Co-Authored with Michael D. Hausfeld and Steig D. Olson
Press:
-
- "Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week," Law360 (June 28, 2024)
- “Smaller May Be Better For NCAA, Sports Antitrust Experts Say,” Law360 (April 10, 2024)
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Paul Friedman denied a motion by the defendant railroads BNSF, CSX, NS, and UP to exclude certain evidence from future antitrust trials. The press has been covering this development and Sathya Gosselin has been quoted in this Railway Age article, and this Freightwaves article, (Feb. 19, 2021)
- "Sports Betting May Further Complicate NCAA Antitrust Concerns," Bloomberg (June 4, 2018)
- "Federal probe could uncover deeper roots in college basketball scandal," USA Today (Sept. 30, 2017)
- "US judge sends former UNC athletes’ lawsuit back to North Carolina courts," The News & Observer (Apr. 27, 2017)
- "MLB Wearable Tech Experiment Raises Athlete Privacy Issues," Law360 (Mar. 14, 2017)
- "Olympian Nick Symmonds's Company Files Lawsuit vs USOC and USATF," Sports Illustrated (Jan. 20, 2016)
- "U.S. Appeals Court Finds NCAA Pay Rules Violate Antitrust Law," Reuters (Sept. 30, 2015)
- "As College Football Season Kicks Off, the NCAA Is Still ‘Under Siege,'" The Huffington Post (Sept. 4, 2015)
- "Game Over for Two-a-Days," The Daily Beast (Aug. 31, 2015)
- "Focus Returns to College Antitrust Cases," Sports Business Journal (Aug. 24, 2015)
- "Symmonds 'at a Flashpoint for Athletes' Rights,'" Sports Business Journal (Aug. 17, 2015)
- "Lawyers: Class-action ball now in UNC, NCAA court," The Herald-Sun (Feb. 19, 2015)
- "NCAA Athletes Should Get Publicity Pay, SAG Tells 9th Circ." Law360 (Jan. 29, 2015)
- "Former UNC Student-Athletes Detail Fake 'Paper Classes' in New Lawsuit against School and NCAA," Business Insider (Jan. 23, 2015)
- "Athletes Slap NCAA, UNC with Suit Claiming Sham Classes," Law360 (Jan. 22, 2015)
- "Oliver Luck brings own perspective to NCAA on O'Bannon name and likeness issue," USA Today (Jan. 16, 2015)
- "Big Suits," The American Lawyer (Sept. 29, 2014)
- "Law360’s Weekly Verdict: Legal Lions & Lambs" Law360 (Aug. 14, 2014)
- "O'Bannon Trial: Former player testifies about eligibility requirements," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (June 16, 2014)
- "Reclaiming their image: College athletes sue NCAA for cut of profits," Fault Lines/AlJazeera America (June 10, 2014)
NEWS
EVENTS
- "Sports and Antitrust: Enforcement Trends on Both Sides of the Atlantic," ABA (May 31, 2022), Panelist
- “NCAA v. Alston: Sports and Antitrust Law Going Forward,” Philadelphia Bar Association (Apr. 27, 2022)
- "Plaintiff Side Litigation," Cornell Law School Alumni Panel (Feb. 23, 2021), Panelist
- "Competition Advocacy, State Occupational Licensing, and Private Certification - Perspectives from Federal Agencies and State Attorneys General" ABA Section of Antitrust Law (May 6, 2019)
- "Recent Noteworthy Litigation and Trends to Watch," ABA Section of Antitrust Trade, Sports, and Professional Associations Committee’s Post-Spring Meeting Town Hall, (April 29, 2019)
- "Sports Law," University of Florida Levin College of Law 2019 Sports Law Symposium (March 1, 2019), Panelist
- "Alston v. NCAA: Will 'Amateurism' Survive?" ABA Trade, Sports, and Professional Associations Committee (Jan. 8, 2019)
- "Antitrust Exemptions in Sports—& More," Legal Talk Network (Aug. 17, 2018)
- "Practicing as an Antitrust and Sports Lawyer," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (May 23, 2018)
- "Recent Developments in Global Class Actions," ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting (April 12, 2018)
- "NCAA Amateurism and the O'Bannon Litigation," University of Texas School of Law Continuing Legal Education (March 23, 2018)
- "Working With Experts and Economic Evidence in Class Actions," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (Feb. 26, 2018)
- "What's Next -- Hot Issues at the Nexus of Consumer Protection, Antitrust, and Sports," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (Dec. 5, 2017)
- "O'Bannon in the Supreme Court," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (Aug. 4, 2016)
- "Hot Topics in Pro Sports," Cozen O'Connor - Sports Law for Rookies and Veterans (April 15, 2016)
- Oregon Law Summer Sports Institute (Summer 2016; Summer 2015), Guest lecturer
- "Developments in Antitrust Cases against Sports Leagues," American Antitrust Institute Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference (Nov. 18, 2015)
- "Trying the Class Action: Practical Tips From the Pros Seminar," American Association for Justice (June 2015)
- "Amateurism and NCAA Compliance," University of Florida Levin College of Law 2015 Sports Law Symposium (March 27, 2015)
- "Antitrust and the NCAA: The O'Bannon Litigation and More," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (Dec. 5, 2014)
- "The O'Bannon Litigation and the Future of the NCAA and College Athletics," District of Columbia Bar (Nov. 7, 2014)
EXPERIENCE
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Legal 500 US, 2017Sathya is a 'young star,' who 'works on the most complex cases brilliantly.'
Law360, 2014Sathya has an 'adept skill set,' a 'penchant for high-stakes litigation,' and 'close attention to detail.'