US Supreme Court rejects Roberto Clemente sons’ $45 million license plate appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of Roberto Clemente’s sons, ending their effort to challenge Puerto Rico’s use of the baseball legend’s image on commemorative license plates. According to Reuters, USA Today and NewsNation, the justices rejected the case on November 9 without explanation, leaving in place lower-court rulings that favored Puerto Rico.The dispute began in 2022, when Puerto Rico issued special license plates and vehicle registration tags honoring Clemente on the 50th anniversary of his death.

His sons said the territory used their father’s likeness without permission and sought $45 million in damages, along with $3.15 million for alleged trademark infringement. Read more details about this incident, as per the reports, here:A tribute without permissionPuerto Rico’s commemorative plates featured Clemente’s image, his No. 21 and a reference to his 3,000 career hits.

The program was intended to mark 50 years since his death and celebrate one of Puerto Rico’s most beloved sports figures.