The president of Mexican media giant Grupo Lauman, Manuel Arroyo, now faces arrest if he enters US territory.
That is due to a court order from a federal judge in New York, who has now ruled that Arroyo should face arrest as part of the fallout from the Grupo Lauman dispute with Fox Corporation (regarding the Fox Sports trademark in Mexico).
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The court order, signed by Judge Jed Rakoff, states that if Arroyo "is within the jurisdiction of the United States, [he should] be arrested immediately and held in confinement until he complies with the court's orders of September 5 and 19, 2025."
It was formally signed on October 25, and gives the responsibility for arresting Arroyo – once he enters US jurisdiction – to the US Marshals Service.
Grupo Lauman bought the rights to the Fox Sports Mexico brand five years ago from the Walt Disney Company, but since 2023 has been in dispute with Fox Corporation (the original owner of the brand) over allegedly not making required contractual payments, and also for illegal use of the Fox Sports name.
Indeed, the same Judge first ordered a global freezing of assets related to the subsidiaries of Grupo Lauman in 2023, and also imposed a fine on Arroyo's firm for contempt of court.
However, a subsequent investigation by authorities in the US found that a company called Mexico Sports Distribution made more than $12 million worth of unauthorized bank transfers on behalf of Grupo Lauman, effectively violating the court order.
Now, as a consequence, Arroyo has been placed in contempt of court personally, and will be arrested next time he enters US-held territory. This order will remain in place until he complies with last year's orders to return the aforementioned money.
The Judge came to the conclusion that the Grupo Lauman president and owner was personally involved in the redirection of funds through Mexico Sports Distribution (MSD).
In total, more than $70 million in sanctions and fines have been levied against Arroyo, Grupo Lauman, and MSD.
Indeed, the court files also suggest that this situation has led to non-payment of rights fees to Mexican media operators and sports rights-holders.
