Electronic Arts will stand trial against Robin Antonick, one of the designers on Madden NFL, for allegedly breaching a contract and denying Antonick unpaid royalties, according to a recent press release.

The decision was made by California federal judge Charles Breyer who "has serious concerns about the fraud claim," but will view evidence to make a better ruling, Businessweek reports. This was EA's final attempt to dismiss the lawsuit initiated by Antonick in 2011. Antonick claims that he signed a contract with EA in 1986 and conceived and developed the original John Madden Football for Commodore 64, MS-DOS and Apple II.

Antonick ended his time with the John Madden franchise in 1991, but under the alleged contract should still receive royalties for derivative works. This includes Madden NFL 11, which allegedly includes material based off Antonick's original concepts.

A pre-trial is planned for May 20, while the actual trial is currently scheduled for June 17. We have contacted EA for comment and will update accordingly.