February 2025. Olivia Dunne penned a letter to the U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. Her concerns? The $2.8 billion NCAA house settlement had issues. Multiple issues. It lacks transparency. Distributes money inequitably. Excludes athletes from the decision-making process. And now, about 2 months from that, she finds herself fighting in court. Directly this time. What happened? Well, the NCAA house settlement is nearing its final leg, and Dunne is not giving up without a fight!

Olivia Dunne has been running the NIL space for quite some time now. Since 2021, the year when the NCAA adopted the new NIL rules, she has amassed millions through endorsements. Currently ranked #4 in the top 100 NIL athletes, she has about 13.5M followers and an ON3 NIL roster estimated value of $ 4.1 M. Thus, when she spoke up on this issue, it held weight. She is the present example of an athlete who doesn’t come from the football/basketball domains but from an Olympic sport and still has managed to make a mark in the NIL space. Thus, when it came to fighting for what she represents, Livvy didn’t back down.

As per Forbes, Monday, April 7, Olivia Dunne appeared before Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court to formally object to the $2.8B NCAA house settlement case. Among the four athletes who testified, Livy appeared on a Zoom video call and called herself a “Division 1 athlete, a businesswoman, and I’ve been the highest-earning female athlete since the NIL rules changed.” However, she went on to oppose that the settlement does not take into account her true value and potential earning power. She even alleged that she had sacrificed in her earnings.

In fact, Livvy even opposed the back pay offered by the settlement. And her argument was? “My value existed before NIL was legal. I don’t need to guess what I might have earned, I know. I had a growing platform and millions of followers before I ever stepped foot onto a college campus,” Dunne said. She even described that, before the NIL rules came into effect, she had already committed to LSU in 2017. During COVID, her fame skyrocketed and thus, till she came to college, she was already a rising star with millions of followers.

Naturally, “Brands were interested, followers were engaged, demand was real.” But, the NIL rules initially restricted her. Student athletes couldn’t monetize their NIL values. Thus, Olivia Dunne added in the court, “Had NIL rules not restricted me, my value would’ve started higher, scaled faster and grown even more,” Dunne said. So to her, that lost momentum matters, and she is fighting for that. Truly, had she gotten the chances, they could have been a game changer for Livvy. Imagine the woman who is the face of brands like Crocs, Nautica, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, and so many more, she could have made a fortune out of the years she lost.

And it’s not just for herself. Livvy has been fighting for the sport too. Since long. Yes, she may have taken this battle to a new stage now, but this is hardly the start.

Olivia Dunne has been objecting to the NCAA’s house settlement

In January 2025, Olivia Dunne spoke up about the fact that the NCAA was reaching to terms in a settlement without hearing the athlete’s opinion. She had called it, the continuation of “the long tradition of shutting athletes out of having a voice in a legal issue where they hold a financial interest.” Well, that changed today, as she got to testify in the matter before the US district judge.

She had also spoken up against the lack of access to critical information. “Especially in a case where the school provided no NIL data, athletes could not upload their own data to adjust and correct their estimate without filing a claim and waiving their right to opt out of the damages class. This left the athlete to have to make a decision without accurate information.”

So yes, Olivia Dunne has been fighting this battle for a long time. But it isn’t over yet. The judge has given a week’s time. For what? Check out the latest details that have emerged in the case.