Iowa man sues Nintendo over denied Pokémon Professor status
FILE - A symbolic photo of Pokemon. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
An Iowa man is suing Nintendo because he was denied a Pokémon Professor certification after scoring a 100% on the examination.
The lawsuit, filed in a Northern District of Iowa U.S. District Court, claimed Kyle Owens, 34, was being "unlawfully excluded" from gaining a Pokémon Professor status.
Dig deeper:
Owens claimed that after passing the exam, a background check was required.
The background check found a "low-level Illinois felony that was more than ten years old" which was the basis for denying Owens a Pokemon Professor status, the lawsuit claimed.
After Owens challenged this basis, the entity abandoned it and instead cited three Pennsylvania misdemeanors "that did not show guilty findings."
What they're saying:
"Defendants’ shifting reasons show arbitrary decision-making, bad faith, pretext, lack of consistent standards, lack of a legitimate nexus between the record information and the certification sought," the lawsuit said.
Owens said because he was denied professor status, he lost access to special tools, event-hosting authority, prospective customer traffic, and other economic benefits.
Owens claimed Nintendo and Pokémon Company International violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, a federal law that outlaws monopolistic business practices and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain foreign trade.
What's next:
Owens is seeking $341,000 in damages, as well as his Pokémon Professor certification.
FOX has reached out to Nintendo for comment.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Iowa. This story was reported from San Jose.