Johnson v. Goodell
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07502
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Christopher Johnson v. Roger Goodell, Judge Swain transferred the case from New York to Nevada because Nevada was the proper venue.
The order affects Christopher Johnson and the defendants because the case was transferred from the Southern District of New York to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada; the underlying claims were not decided.
What happened
Christopher Johnson, who lives in South Carolina and is representing himself, sued Roger Goodell, the National Football League, the Las Vegas Raiders, and others. He alleges that the Raiders took his event idea without paying him after events involving the Las Vegas HBCU Classic and Las Vegas businesses.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain found that venue—the proper federal court location—did not appear proper in New York because some defendants were alleged to live outside New York and the relevant events occurred in Nevada. The court concluded that the case could be brought in the District of Nevada.
Judge Swain ordered the case transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada under federal venue-transfer laws. The order closed the case in the Southern District of New York, left filing-fee or fee-waiver issues to the Nevada court, and denied fee-waiver status for any appeal.
The detailed version
- Johnson v. Goodell · No. 1:25-cv-07502
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 12, 2025
Background
Christopher Johnson brought this action without a lawyer. The opinion states that he resides in South Carolina. He sued the Las Vegas Raiders and its owner, Mark Davis; the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its Chief Executive Officer, Steve Hill; the National Football League; and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Johnson alleges that in 2022 he had a Nevada business license and contacted the president of the Las Vegas Raiders about sponsoring and promoting the Las Vegas HBCU Classic at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. He alleges that, after delays, he sought sponsorship from MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas and that the Las Vegas Raiders eventually appropriated his event concept without compensating him.
Venue analysis
Venue is the legally proper federal district for a case. The court considered the general venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b). It concluded that venue did not appear proper in the Southern District of New York based on the defendants’ residences because some defendants were alleged to reside outside New York.
The court also concluded that venue did not appear proper in New York based on where the events occurred. Because the events giving rise to Johnson’s claims occurred in Nevada, the court determined that venue was proper in the District of Nevada under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2).
The court further stated that a case may be transferred, for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice, to a district where it might have been brought. It found that transfer was appropriate under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1404(a) and 1406.
Order and effect
The court ordered the Clerk to transfer the action to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. It stated that collecting the filing fee or considering an application to proceed without paying the full fee was left to the Nevada court. The opinion also states that the filing fee Johnson submitted in the incorrect amount was being returned to him, and that no summons would issue from the Southern District of New York.
The order closed the case in the Southern District of New York. The court certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without paying the appeal fee. The opinion does not decide the merits of Johnson’s underlying claims.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.