UC Berkeley sued by CalMatters over student-athlete pay data

The nonprofit news outlet CalMatters has filed a lawsuit against UC Berkeley in the Alameda County Superior Court to compel the university to disclose financial data regarding student-athlete compensation. The legal action seeks to reveal how much athletes earn through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.

This marks the second lawsuit filed by CalMatters against a University of California campus in two months, following a similar suit against UCLA in August. The litigation follows a national legal settlement that allows U.S. colleges to compensate athletes directly.

The lawsuit alleges that UC Berkeley has failed to produce sufficient records to show how public funds—comprising athletics revenues, philanthropic donations, and campus funds—are being distributed to athletes. CalMatters argues that state taxpayers have a right to know the names of the players receiving payments and the teams involved.