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SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A federal judge Thursday granted final approval to a multimillion-dollar class action settlement that includes $4.6 million in damages to professional swimmers threatened with penalties by the sport’s global governing body if they chose to compete in other swimming leagues.
The settlement includes injunctive relief for swimmers who may have been subject to a rule enforced by World Aquatics banning and penalizing professional swimmers who competed in unsanctioned events, including the International Swimming League, between Jan. 1, 2018, and Aug. 29, 2025.
The two other classes were outlined by year, for swimmers who were unable to compete in events in 2018 and 2019 when the up-and-coming ISL was trying to get off the ground.
As part of the settlement, World Aquatics will pay $4.6 billion in damages, with $1.1 million allocated for the 2018 damages class and $3.5 million for the 2019 class. The amount each class member receives will depend on what the individual swimmer would have earned in prize money and appearance fees without the anticompetitive conduct, according to the final settlement order.
The two class representatives, U.S. Olympic champion Tom Shields and Hungarian world record holder Katinka Hosszú, will receive $10,000 each to cover their time and costs related to their representation.
Per the final settlement order, 100% of identified class members in the 2018 damages class and 98% of the 2019 class were contacted concerning the settlement. There were no objections, and only two class members opted out of the settlement.
Beyond the funds, the injunctive relief includes no restrictions on swimmers’ participation in sanctioned events and a ban on World Aquatics enforcing rules that penalize swimmers for participating in independent events.
The relief also allows swimmers’ results at independent events to be recognized by World Aquatics, provided they comply with certain World Aquatics regulations.
At a hearing over the swimmers’ motion for final settlement approval, World Aquatics attorney Aaron Chiu said the organization’s approach to the settlement in the case against individual swimmers was it “wanted to get it done.” Chiu said he wanted the record to be clear about World Aquatics’ enforcement of the rule that kept swimmers from entering competitions outside of the organization’s approval.
“FINA said we are never going to enforce this against athletes,” Chiu said, referring to the Federation internationale de natation, World Aquatics’ name at the time. “The rules are beyond anything that was ever at issue. It hasn’t been on the books since July 2019.”
The final agreement also awards $4.1 million in attorneys’ fees, which includes $3 million that World Aquatics previously agreed to pay plus an additional 25% of the $4.6 million damages amount. Class attorneys will additionally receive approximately $135,00 for reimbursement of litigation expenses.
At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Jaqueline Scott Corley asked for descriptions of the costs of litigation, such as hotel rooms, plane tickets and meals, to justify the previously agreed-upon $3 million in attorney fees.
“The party requesting fees bears the burden of submitting billing records to establish that the number of hours it requested are reasonable,” the Joe Biden appointee said in her preliminary settlement approval order.
But Corley said she hadn’t received any documentation that justified the $3 million amount.
“Didn’t I ask for detailed information?” the judge asked.
In the final order, Corley awarded the class attorneys only half of what they requested for the damages class-related costs, around $36,300, writing that they “decided to essentially stand on the submission court already held was inadequate” and did not provide additional information that the court requested.
The case was originally filed in 2018, and the parties reached a settlement in principle in June 2025. Corley granted preliminary approval of the settlement in October 2025.
A jury trial earlier this year involving the ISL against World Aquatics found the organization responsible for antitrust behavior with regard to other leagues, but only awarded the ISL $1 in damages.
Representatives for either party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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