News - Middle East: The PGA Tour has filed a lawsuit against LIV Golf backers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by the Saudi crown prince, in an effort to force evidence discovery in ongoing legal battles.

The PGA Tour is asking a federal judge to compel the fund’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to be deposed and produce documents related to the league. LIV’s lawyers initially agreed to cooperate with the discovery, but later reversed course and objected, claiming the league isn’t required to comply with the requests because it’s not a U.S. citizen, according to a person familiar with the legal dealings.

Representatives for LIV and for the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund didn’t immediately return requests for comment from CNBC.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is a continuation of a series of antitrust claims between the two organizations. LIV Golf sued the tour alleging anti-competitive practices for banning its players, and the tour recently countersued LIV Golf, claiming the upstart league was itself stifling competition.

Critics have accused the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund of “sportswashing” by using the league to distract from the kingdom’s history of human rights violations.

Source: CNBC