Nike has filed a lawsuit against Boris Berian, one of the fastest 800-meter runners in the U.S., to prevent him from wearing New Balance merchandise at upcoming high-profile events, which include the Olympic Trials and possibly the Olympics in August. By wearing New Balance items, Berian would allegedly be violating his endorsement contract with the swoosh brand, but the athlete responded on Twitter that his Nike deal ended in December. Nike signed on the athlete on June 17, 2015, during a breakout season. The contract that went through Dec. 31, 2015 gave the company the right to match any other offers. Berian signed a deal with New Balance, and Nike maintained its sponsorship remained in effect anyway since it properly exercised its right of first refusal. Berian and New Balance claim, on the contrary, that Nike did not make a clearly better offer, which then freed the runner to represent New Balance. Nike filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Portland in March and later obtained a temporary restraining order, which will prevent Berian from competing in any non-Nike gear until June 21, the court date that has been set.

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