Latest news with #ToddFrance
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
ATSG Delivers Second A330 Converted Freighter to ULS Airlines Cargo
WILMINGTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Air Transport Services Group, Inc., a leading provider of cargo aircraft leasing, air cargo transportation, and related services, today announced the delivery of its second Airbus A330 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion to ULS Airlines Cargo, a cargo carrier based in Istanbul, Türkiye. The A330-300P2F is a versatile widebody freighter offering a gross payload capacity of approximately 62 tons and a cargo volume of over 526 cubic meters. The aircraft was converted from passenger to freighter configuration by Turkish Technic in Istanbul, in collaboration with Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), the joint venture of Airbus and ST Engineering that holds the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the A330P2F program. 'ATSG's A330P2F program continues to deliver modern, fuel-efficient freighter capacity to meet the growing demands of global air cargo,' said Todd France, Chief Commercial Officer of ATSG. 'The delivery of this second aircraft to ULS reflects our shared commitment to fleet modernization, operational reliability, and long-term partnership.' ULS Airlines Cargo operates a network spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, specializing in scheduled and charter cargo services. The addition of a second A330P2F strengthens its capacity to serve high-volume and long-haul markets, complementing its existing fleet and supporting its strategic growth plans. 'Expanding our A330P2F fleet enhances our ability to meet customer demand while improving efficiency and reliability,' said Yasin Ata, Managing Director of ULS Airlines Cargo. 'We value ATSG's expertise in providing dependable aircraft solutions and look forward to continuing this partnership as we grow our cargo network.' About Air Transport Services Group Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is a premier provider of aircraft leasing and air cargo transportation solutions for both domestic and international air carriers, as well as companies seeking outsourced air cargo services. ATSG is the global leader in freighter leasing with a fleet that includes Boeing 767, Airbus A321, and Airbus A330 aircraft. A diverse portfolio of subsidiaries encompasses ATSG's Lease+Plus aircraft leasing strategy including three airlines holding separate and distinct U.S. FAA Part 121 Air Carrier certificates to provide air cargo lift, passenger ACMI and charter services, aircraft maintenance, airport ground services and material handling equipment engineering and service. ATSG subsidiaries include ABX Air, Inc.; Airborne Global Solutions, Inc.; Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc.; Air Transport International, Inc.; Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc.; and Omni Air International, LLC. For further details, visit About ULS Airlines Cargo ULS Airlines Cargo is an Istanbul-based cargo carrier offering scheduled and charter services to destinations across Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and Africa. Operating a fleet of widebody freighters, ULS is committed to providing efficient, reliable air cargo solutions that meet the evolving needs of its global customers. For further details, visit
Business Wire
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
ATSG Leases First EASA-Certified A321 Converted Freighter To Warsaw Cargo
WILMINGTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Air Transport Services Group, Inc., a leading provider of cargo aircraft leasing, air cargo transportation, and related services, today announced the delivery of its first A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to Warsaw Cargo, an emerging air cargo operator based in Warsaw, Poland. The A321-200PCF is a highly capable narrowbody freighter that brings modern efficiency and versatility to regional air cargo networks. Converted through 321 Precision Conversions, a joint venture of ATSG, the aircraft features containerized main deck cargo capability, excellent fuel efficiency, and a payload capacity of up to 27 tons. Its design makes it particularly well-suited for time-sensitive shipments in high-density, short- to medium-haul markets. 'ATSG continues to grow its global leasing fleet with high-performance, fuel-efficient aircraft, providing flexible, reliable aircraft solutions tailored to our clients' operational goals,' said Todd France, Chief Commercial Officer of ATSG. 'This delivery represents another milestone in our international growth strategy and supports Warsaw Cargo's vision to expand reliable cargo service across Europe.' Warsaw Cargo specializes in flexible ACMI and charter solutions for both short- and long-term cargo operations. The addition of the A321 freighter to its fleet will allow the carrier to enhance service across Europe and adjacent regions, meeting growing demand for regional express and e-commerce cargo. 'As a new cargo carrier, we're focused on building a strong foundation with the right partners and the right equipment,' said Jarosław Chłopecki, Chief Executive Officer of Warsaw Cargo. 'This A321 freighter allows us to launch operations with a reliable, efficient aircraft platform, and ATSG's expertise and support have been instrumental. We're excited to meet the growing demand for regional cargo service across Europe.' About Air Transport Services Group Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is a premier provider of aircraft leasing and air cargo transportation solutions for both domestic and international air carriers, as well as companies seeking outsourced air cargo services. ATSG is the global leader in freighter leasing with a fleet that includes Boeing 767, Airbus A321, and Airbus A330 aircraft. A diverse portfolio of subsidiaries encompasses ATSG's Lease+Plus aircraft leasing strategy including three airlines holding separate and distinct U.S. FAA Part 121 Air Carrier certificates to provide air cargo lift, passenger ACMI and charter services: aircraft maintenance, airport ground services and material handling equipment engineering and service. ATSG subsidiaries include ABX Air, Inc.; Airborne Global Solutions, Inc.; Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc.; Air Transport International, Inc.; Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc.; and Omni Air International, LLC. For further details, visit About Warsaw Cargo Warsaw Cargo is a Poland-based startup air cargo carrier focused on delivering flexible and reliable freight solutions across Europe and neighboring regions. Specializing in ACMI and charter operations, Warsaw Cargo is committed to providing responsive service tailored to the evolving needs of logistics providers, e-commerce platforms, and freight forwarders. With a focus on efficiency, scalability, and customer-driven solutions, Warsaw Cargo is building a modern fleet designed to meet the growing demand for regional air cargo transportation. For further details, visit
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Suspension Expected After Court Upholds NFLPA Arbitration Decision Against Agent Todd France
Photo by Rich Graessle/PPI/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images On May 30, 2025, a Pennsylvania federal court refused NFL player agent Todd France's request to vacate a December 2023 arbitration decision which ordered France to pay over $800,000 in damages to rival agent Jason Bernstein and which excoriated France for fraudulent conduct. The stage is now set for the NFLPA's Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline (CARD) to suspend France, or perhaps revoke his agent certification entirely. The Bernstein-France Arbitration In July 2019, Bernstein filed a grievance with the NFLPA against France alleging that he had violated the NFLPA's regulations by initiating conversations with Bernstein's client, then-Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, including assisting him in a card signing, and then ultimately signing Golladay as a client. It is not uncommon for agents to bring such cases when they perceive a client to have been stolen, but there has never been a decision finding that an agent violated the regulations (cases frequently settle). In March 2020, NFLPA Arbitrator Roger Kaplan issued a decision in France's favor, finding that Bernstein had failed to prove that France engaged in the alleged wrongful conduct. The Initial Court Challenges The parties then filed competing actions to vacate or confirm the award. The document discovery in those cases revealed that France had been untruthful during the NFLPA arbitration process. Specifically, France had denied both in a pre-hearing deposition and again at the hearing that he had any involvement with Golladay's January 2019 autograph event. In fact, emails produced in those cases showed that France and his team had arranged the event and negotiated the contract for the event. Yet, during the arbitration process, France had denied having any documents related to the signing event. Despite these revelations, a district court declined to vacate the arbitration decision, a high burden under any circumstances. In an August 2022 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that prominent NFL player agent Todd France had 'committed fraud' in securing a victory against rival agent Jason Bernstein in a March 2020 arbitration overseen by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). The Third Circuit felt differently – and strongly. It found that France was involved in the autograph signing and that he had 'committed fraud' in the arbitration process. It therefore ordered the March 2020 arbitration decision to be vacated. The Bernstein-France Arbitration Revisited With the prior decision vacated, Bernstein initiated a new action against France in March 2023. In a September 2023 decision, Kaplan ruled that the question of whether France had improperly induced Golladay to sign with him and whether he had committed fraud had been fully and fairly decided by the Third Circuit and would not be relitigated. Consequently, the new arbitration was limited solely to the amount of damages France owed Bernstein. On December 28, 2023, Kaplan issued a decision ordering France to pay Bernstein $810,846.67 in damages, including $450,000 in punitive damages, the first ever such award in the NFLPA arbitration process. Kaplan, the keeper of the NFLPA arbitration process, was clearly offended by France's conduct. His decision repeatedly referenced France as having lied or committed fraud, described 'lying under oath [as] an abominable offense,' and possibly 'also a crime.' Kaplan described 'France's conduct during the 2019 arbitration hearing [as] an affront to good order.' Consequently, Kaplan determined that a 'significant response' was 'warranted so as to protect the integrity and functionality of the arbitration system and to deter similar misconduct in the future.' For these reasons, Kaplan issued the first ever punitive damages award in an NFLPA arbitration. The Recent Court Challenges In March 2024, France filed a petition in federal court to vacate Kaplan's 2023 decision. France claimed that Kaplan was wrong to accept the Third Circuit's findings that France had engaged in fraud, that Kaplan should have permitted France to introduce evidence concerning the alleged fraud at the second arbitration, and that Kaplan exceeded his authority by issuing punitive damages. The Pennsylvania federal court disagreed. The court held that Kaplan fairly permitted the parties to argue the extent to which the Third Circuit's opinion should control the new arbitration and that he had the authority to apply the Third Circuit's decision. In finding that Kaplan gave France a fair hearing, the court noted that Kaplan only awarded Bernstein $225,000 in compensatory damages, far less than the $1,213,676 demanded. The court also found that Kaplan acted reasonably in awarding punitive damages. The court determined that France failed to show that Kaplan 'did not make a good faith attempt to interpret the Regulations and the [NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement] in this matter of first impression.' CARD Has the Ball While the legal process has played out, France has continued his career as one of the leading agents in the business. Indeed, he represents Walter Nolen, the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The NFLPA stated that it was waiting for a decision on France's motion to vacate before referring the matter to CARD, a panel of active or former NFL players which has the authority to discipline agents, including by potentially revoking their certification. Of relevance here, the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors prohibit '[e]ngaging in unlawful conduct and/or conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or other activity which reflects adversely on his/her fitness as a Contract Advisor.' Indeed, in 2016, the NFLPA revoked the certification of Ben Dogra, at the time one of the most successful agents in the business, for a variety of infractions. With the court's decision, the path is clear for the NFLPA and CARD to act on France's status. His competing agents will want and expect a speedy and forceful sanction, which may bring to a close the career of one of the top agents in the business. France's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
NFLPA Lying In Wait On Discipline For Agent Todd France After Fraud Finding
Photo byIn an August 2022 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that prominent NFL player agent Todd France had 'committed fraud' in securing a victory against rival agent Jason Bernstein in a March 2020 arbitration overseen by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). Then, in a December 2023 decision, in a partial redo of that arbitration, Arbitrator Roger Kaplan ordered France to pay Bernstein $810,846.67, including $450,000 in punitive damages for his conduct. Despite these rulings, the NFLPA has not yet taken any action against France, to the consternation of his competitors. That is anticipated to change after an upcoming trial between Bernstein and CAA, France's former agency. Unions and Agent Regulation Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a union is 'the exclusive representatives of all of the employees in [the employee] unit for the purposes of collective bargaining in respect to rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment.' In other words, both employees and employers are prohibited from negotiating the terms of an employee's employment without the union's involvement or permission. In sports, the union's exclusive authority under the NLRA means, for example, that the NFLPA has the right to negotiate all of the contracts of the approximate 1,700 players on NFL rosters. Such a workload is impractical. Consequently, the NFLPA and the other unions in professional sports effectively delegate some of that negotiating authority to agents pursuant to a certification process. In their collective bargaining agreement, the NFL and NFLPA negotiate numerous parameters around player employment, including minimum salaries, the terms of the standard player contract, dispute resolution, benefits, work schedules, and more. Nevertheless, there is still a considerable amount of room left to individual negotiation between the player and his agent and the team, notably the annual salary and length of the contract. The union certification process varies across the unions but generally requires an extensive background check, sometimes an exam, and the agreement to abide by the union's agent regulations. The regulations are extensive and intended to ensure that agents represent players competently, zealously, and ethically. The unions' authority is further cemented as part of the collective bargaining agreements, in which the teams agree not to negotiate player contracts with agents not certified by the relevant union. First Down: The Bernstein-France Arbitration Among the rules contained in the unions' agent regulations is a general requirement that any dispute over the regulations, between agents, or between a player and an agent be resolved exclusively through a union-administered arbitration process (which NBA player agent Daniel Hazan is seeking to evade in an unrelated matter). Pursuant to those rules, in July 2019, Bernstein filed a grievance with the NFLPA against France alleging that he had violated the NFLPA's regulations by initiating conversations with Bernstein's client, then-Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, including assisting him in a card signing, and then ultimately signing Golladay as a client. It is not uncommon for agents to bring such cases when they perceive a client to have been stolen, but there has never been a decision finding that an agent violated the regulations (cases frequently settle). In March 2020, Kaplan issued a decision in France's favor, finding that Bernstein had failed to prove that France engaged in the alleged wrongful conduct. The parties then filed competing actions to vacate or confirm the award. The document discovery in those cases revealed that France had been untruthful during the NFLPA arbitration process. Specifically, France had denied both in a pre-hearing deposition and again at the hearing that he had any involvement with Golladay's January 2019 autograph event. In fact, emails produced in those cases showed that France and his team had arranged the event and negotiated the contract for the event. Yet, during the arbitration process, France had denied having any documents related to the signing event. Despite these revelations, a district court declined to vacate the arbitration decision, a high burden under any circumstances. The Third Circuit felt differently – and strongly. It found that France was involved in the autograph signing and that he had 'committed fraud' in the arbitration process. It therefore ordered the March 2020 arbitration decision to be vacated. Second Down: The Bernstein-France Arbitration Revisited With the prior decision vacated, Bernstein initiated a new action against France in March 2023. In a September 2023 decision, Kaplan ruled that the question of whether France had improperly induced Golladay to sign with him and whether he had committed fraud had been fully and fairly decided by the Third Circuit and would not be relitigated. Consequently, the new arbitration was limited solely to the amount of damages France owed Bernstein. On December 28, 2023, Kaplan issued a decision ordering France to pay Bernstein $810,846.67 in damages, including $450,000 in punitive damages. Kaplan, the keeper of the NFLPA arbitration process, was clearly offended by France's conduct. His decision repeatedly referenced France as having lied or committed fraud, described 'lying under oath [as] an abominable offense,' and possibly 'also a crime.' Kaplan described 'France's conduct during the 2019 arbitration hearing [as] an affront to good order.' Consequently, Kaplan determined that a 'significant response' was 'warranted so as to protect the integrity and functionality of the arbitration system and to deter similar misconduct in the future.' For these reasons, Kaplan issued the first ever punitive damages award in an NFLPA arbitration. The NFLPA Punts France is pursuing an action in federal court to vacate Kaplan's decision. That action is ongoing, including an effort by France to obtain discovery concerning communications between the NFLPA and Kaplan. All the while, France has continued his career as one of the leading agents in the business. Indeed, he represents Walter Nolen, the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The findings against France should be drawing the scrutiny of the NFLPA's Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline (CARD), a panel of active or former NFL players which has the authority to discipline agents, including by potentially revoking their certification. Of relevance here, the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors prohibit '[e]ngaging in unlawful conduct and/or conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or other activity which reflects adversely on his/her fitness as a Contract Advisor.' Indeed, in 2016, the NFLPA revoked the certification of Ben Dogra, at the time one of the most successful agents in the business, for a variety of infractions. Yet, to date, there is no known CARD investigation against France. During a session for agents at the NFL Combine in February 2025, NFLPA officials referenced but did not discuss the action and seemed to indicate that CARD would take it up but did not provide any further details. On June 16, 2025, a trial is set to start in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in a suit by Bernstein and his agency, Clarity Sports International, LLC, versus CAA, Redland Sports (a company involved in the Galloway signing) and related individuals (but not France) for tortious interference. Of note in that case, in a March 8, 2024 order, the Court granted Bernstein's motion for sanctions arising out of CAA's conduct during discovery. Specifically, the Court ordered that Bernstein may 'present evidence of [the defendants'] discovery defaults and delays at trial in support of a claim that this alleged concealment constitutes evidence of consciousness of guilt.' A determination on France's motion to vacate Kaplan's 2023 decision may help clarify some issues prior to the trial and thus may be forthcoming. It consequently appears that there will soon be the decisive litigation results upon which the NFLPA and CARD seem to be waiting before acting. That waiting, however, does not seem necessary. Even if a court were to find that Kaplan's arbitration decision on damages should be vacated or amended in some way, it would (or should) not change the fundamental factual findings of the Third Circuit and Kaplan that France engaged in fraudulent conduct. Either way, the stage is set for the NFLPA and CARD to act on France's status. His competing agents will want and expect a speedy and forceful sanction. Neither the NFLPA nor France's attorney responded to a request for comment.
