USA Pickleball Countersues JOOLA, Alleges "Bait-and-Switch" in Paddle Certification Dispute
What's the Score?
USA Pickleball (USAP), the sport's governing body in the United States, has filed a countersuit against Sport Squad, Inc., the parent company of JOOLA, as part of an ongoing legal dispute. In the countersuit, USAP alleges that JOOLA engaged in a "classic bait-and-switch", submitting different models of their Gen 3 paddle line for certification testing than the ones they subsequently sold to the public.
Hit it deeper!
The legal battle between USA Pickleball and JOOLA, a prominent pickleball equipment manufacturer, has escalated with USAP's filing of a countersuit. This action, filed on April 18, 2025, is a direct response to an initial $200 million lawsuit filed by JOOLA in June 2024. The dispute originated after USAP de-listed JOOLA's Gen 3 paddles from its list of approved equipment.
USAP's countersuit centres on the allegation that JOOLA acted intentionally and deceptively regarding the certification process for their Gen 3 paddle line. According to USAP's claims in the lawsuit, JOOLA submitted specific models of the Gen 3 paddles to USAP for testing and approval in 2023. These models passed the required tests and were subsequently approved by USAP. JOOLA then launched the Gen 3 paddles in April 2024, marketing them as having a "catapult effect" and gaining popularity due to their power.
However, USAP alleges that the paddles mass-produced and sold to the public were significantly different from the models that had received USAP's certification. USAP claims this constituted a "classic bait-and-switch". The key difference alleged by USAP is that the market versions of the Gen 3 paddles contained substantially more foam – sometimes double the amount or more – than the original paddles submitted for testing. This increased foam content, according to USAP, enhanced an "illegal trampoline effect" when the ball made contact with the paddle face. A screenshot provided in USAP's lawsuit shows alleged structural and material differences between a market paddle and a paddle submitted for approval, with the market version showing irregular, expanding foam around the rim. USAP contends that JOOLA never disclosed these differences yet continued to market the publicly sold paddles under the same name as the approved model, falsely representing them as approved by USAP. USAP only learned of the discrepancies later, which led to the removal of all JOOLA Gen 3 paddles from its approved list.
The legal battle has been ongoing for approximately ten months. USAP had previously filed a motion to dismiss JOOLA's initial lawsuit, but that motion failed. With this countersuit, USAP is seeking various forms of redress from JOOLA. Specifically, USAP is asking the court for compensatory damages, including treble damages (three times the monetary amount of financial damages awarded). They are also seeking a disgorgement of JOOLA's profits from the Gen 3 line, also potentially including treble damages. Additionally, USAP is asking for compensation for punitive damages. The countersuit requests a court declaration stating that JOOLA misrepresented and/or mislabeled paddles as USAP-approved without them having been submitted for testing. Finally, USAP is seeking prejudgment and postjudgment interest on applicable amounts, as well as reasonable compensation for its attorney's fees and costs.
The World Pickleball Verdict
USA Pickleball's countersuit against JOOLA, alleging a "classic bait-and-switch" regarding paddle certification, brings to the forefront a critical issue for the integrity of competitive pickleball: equipment compliance and fair play. The core accusation that market-sold paddles differed significantly from tested models, specifically with more foam creating an alleged "illegal trampoline effect", strikes at the heart of competitive fairness. This legal battle between the sport's governing body and a major equipment provider highlights the challenges in regulating equipment technology in a rapidly innovating sport and ensuring that certified gear truly represents what players are using on the court. The substantial damages and profit disgorgement USAP is seeking underscore the seriousness of the allegations. The outcome of this ten-month-old dispute will likely have far-reaching implications for paddle manufacturing, certification processes, and the standards of equipment verification used in professional and amateur pickleball moving forward.