DALLAS, TX - JOOLA has filed a lawsuit against USA Pickleball for actions related to the removal of its Gen 3 paddles from the Approved Paddle List.

It’s been just over a week since USAP upheld its decision to keep the Gen 3 paddles off of the list after removing them in mid-May.

JOOLA has maintained that the Gen 3 paddles that hit the market in April are “materially and structurally the same” as paddles that were approved by USAP back in September and suggested that their removal from the Approved Paddle List would result in legal action.

It looks like they weren’t bluffing.

One of the potential issues with USAP’s handling of this situation has to do with the timeline they have worked with. According to Rule 2.F.1 of the USAP Equipment Standards Manual, “Approval and authorization of a specified piece, brand, version, design, or type of equipment may be revoked by the Board of Directors upon 18 months’ notice on the USA Pickleball home page.”

Obviously, nowhere near 18 months of notice was provided to JOOLA in this instance.

USAP did, however, address this potential issue in a June 4^th statement and argued that the rule does not cover every situation, including circumstances (like these) where the wrong paddles were submitted for certification by JOOLA back in November.

USAP argues that, given the highly unique circumstances surrounding the paddles, an expedited course of action is warranted. 

Stay tuned for more updates as details of the lawsuit become available.