December 5, 2019 Advertising / Boxing / Litigation

What a Knockout! Disgruntled Fans Suit Down for the Count

The May 2, 2015 match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, promoted as the “Fight of the Century,” saw two of this generation’s most prominent figures in boxing go head-to-head for 12 rounds. However, many fans were less than pleased with the outcome of the fight after the Pacquiao camp’s post-fight revelation.

At the conclusion of the match, a “three-judge panel [unanimously] declared Mayweather the overall winner of the match,” the Ninth Circuit said. That same panel declared Pacquiao the “winner of between two …

September 10, 2019 Concussions / NFL

Former NFL Player Moves to Stay Third Circuit Appeal

On August 2, 2019, Amon Gordon, a 37-year-old former NFL defensive end, asked the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to stay his appeal to the Third Circuit in order to give himself a chance to file a Rule 60 Motion against Judge Anita B. Brody’s August 2019 ruling.

As we have previously reported, Gordon moved to appeal to the Third Circuit in his legal battle against the NFL for not alerting its players of the long-term medical impact of concussions. …

August 14, 2019 Concussions / NFL

Former NFL Defensive End Appeals to Third Circuit in Concussion Lawsuit

Amon Gordon, a 37-year-old former NFL defensive end, appealed to the Third Circuit in his legal battle against the NFL for not alerting its players of the long-term medical impact of concussions. Specifically, Gordon played eight seasons in the NFL and is fighting for his entitlement to a 2015 uncapped settlement of roughly 20,000 players to awards of up to $5 million, depending on the age and severity of their football-related injuries, according to Law360.

There is a belief among the legal community that …

September 26, 2017 High School / Litigation

Football Coach Immune from Brain Injury Suit, Yet Ruling May Give Hope to Future Players

Sheldon Mann, a high school football player who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a concussion during practice, will not be able to sue his coach or the school district. The Third Circuit affirmed Coach Christopher Walkowiak’s grant of immunity from a lawsuit that Mann’s parents filed in 2014. The appeals judge noted there was considerable dispute around what happened, and whether the coach knew Mann was injured when he allowed him to keep practicing. The head football coach of Palmerton Area School District claimed …

September 7, 2017 Sports Betting

Will the U.S. Supreme Court “Take a Gamble” on New Jersey’s Stance to Legalize Sports Betting?

On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, the State of New Jersey, a state horsemen’s association, and a group of policy members urged the United States Supreme Court to deem a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting unconstitutional. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is a federal law that directs states to maintain in effect their state-law prohibition on sports betting. New Jersey is trying to overturn the Third Circuit’s August 2016 holding that New Jersey’s attempt to repeal its sports betting …

December 6, 2016 Concussions / Litigation / NFL

NFL Takes its Turn, Asks High Court to Not Review Concussion Settlement

A few weeks ago, it was the players. Now, the National Football League is asking the Supreme Court to not reject a deal between the league and roughly 20,000 former players dealing with systemic injuries of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The Third Circuit Court of Appeals expressly approved a settlement that was expected to provide the two certified classes with more than $900 million of relief. The approval of the settlement, authorized earlier this year, was met with resistance. A group of players petitioned the …

October 12, 2016 Concussions / Litigation / NFL

Another Headache for the NFL and Riddell

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016, helmet maker Riddell Inc. and the NFL were sued by more than 50 former football players and families of deceased players in a new lawsuit in Louisiana Federal Court. The proposed class action alleges that the NFL made “material representations” that several brain conditions such as early-onset dementia, memory loss, and ALS, were not caused by the players’ time in the NFL and the NFL failed to protect its players.

The suit further alleges that the NFL was aware of …

October 11, 2016 Litigation / NFL

Going Stag: Third Circuit Will Not Require New York Giants to Pay Memorabilia Dealer’s Attorneys’ Fees

On October 6, 2016, the Third Circuit affirmed that the New York Giants do not have to pay for federal court attorneys’ fees incurred by a memorabilia dealer. The dealer, Eric Inselberg, had argued that the Giants should pay the fees incurred while he attempted to remand his lawsuit back to New Jersey state court because the team’s approach to his claims was “objectively unreasonable.”

Originally, the Giants had removed the civil case to federal court, but in November 2014, U.S. District Judge William Martini …

August 15, 2016 General

Third Circuit Says “No” to Sports Betting in New Jersey

New Jersey’s hopes to legalize sports betting in the state were shut down by a Third Circuit panel on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. The panel, in a 10-2 decision, upheld a district court ruling that a 2014 law repealing New Jersey’s ban of sports betting violated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Additionally, the panel affirmed their 2013 ruling that PASPA is constitutional and does not infringe on state rights. Federal law enacted in 1993 prohibits states from regulating sports betting activity.

New …

June 9, 2016 Concussions / Litigation / NFL

Third Circuit Denies Rehearing NFL Concussion Settlement, Compensation Forthcoming

On Wednesday, June 1, 2016, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied the petition to rehear an objection to the NFL’s concussion settlement. Former players still unsatisfied with the settlement plan asked for the full Third Circuit to review the court’s April unanimous decision to affirm the lower court’s ruling. The uncapped settlement, settling about 5,000 NFL concussion-related lawsuits, provides up to $5 million to individual players suffering from severe neurological diseases. As the settlement covers over 20,000 retired players, the agreement could cost …