September 11, 2019 Concussions / Litigation

Junior College Sued Over Controversial “Oklahoma Drill”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on August 20, 2019, that Lackawanna Junior College had assumed a duty to care for the well-being of two of the school’s football players, Augustus Feleccia and Justin Resch.

On March 29, 2010, Feleccia and Resch were injured while participating in an Oklahoma Drill during the team’s football practice. An Oklahoma Drill has several variations, but it commonly involves two players lined up three yards opposite one another. At the sound of the whistle, the players run at one …

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. …

September 3, 2019 Class Actions / Concussions / NCAA

NCAA $75 Million Settlement Gets Final Approval with $14 Million in Fees

On August 12, 2019, U.S. District Judge John Lee granted final approval to a $75 million settlement and awarded more than $14 million in attorney fees. As we have continued to report, the suit began in 2011 when former Eastern Illinois football player, Adrian Arrington, and three others, sued the NCAA because they suffered from seizures, which were a byproduct of repeated head trauma.

Of the $75 million settlement initially approved by Judge Lee in July 2017, $70 million of the settlement will go …

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 …

May 1, 2019 Concussions / Litigation / NFL

Former NFL Players Challenge New Rules in Concussion Settlement Case

On April 24, 2019, a group of former NFL players challenged newly adopted medical rules in the ongoing NFL concussion settlement. As we have previously reported, in April 2015, Judge Brody approved a settlement between the NFL and almost 22,000 former players. The settlement established a 65-year uncapped monetary fund for players who could prove certain neurological diagnoses. The settlement provided a $75 million “baseline assessment program” that provided eligible retired players with neurological examinations, a $10 million education fund to promote safety and …

March 22, 2019 Class Actions / Concussions / Litigation / NCAA

Former Northwestern University Football Player Sues NCAA

On March 18, 2019, former Northwestern University football player, Jay Tant, filed a proposed concussion class action lawsuit against the NCAA. In the class action suit, Tant alleged that the NCAA failed to protect the school’s players from the dangers of concussion and head injuries despite knowing the risks. According to Tant, the NCAA knew, since 1933, of the dangers of concussions and the long-term risks they posed to student-athletes however, the NCAA only began to implement concussion protocols in 2010.

Tant, a standout tight …

February 8, 2019 Concussions / Litigation / NFL

Litigation Funding Companies Claim Judge Improperly Assumed Jurisdiction in Concussion Settlement Case

On January 23, 2019, three litigation-funding companies, RD Legal Funding LLC, Atlas Legal Funding LLC, and Thrivest Specialty Funding LLC told a three-judge panel that U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody, the judge who oversaw the NFL concussion case settlement, improperly assumed jurisdiction over third party funding contracts between the companies and the former players. The litigation funding companies argued that Judge Brody lacked jurisdiction to bar the litigation funding companies from recovering their stake in the settlement.

As we have previously reported, in …

February 6, 2019 Concussions / Litigation / NCAA

Tidal Wave of Former College Football Players Plan to File Lawsuits Against NCAA

Reportedly, over 200 former NCAA college football players are planning to sue the NCAA. The lawsuits allege that the NCAA was negligent in failing to protect the former players from long-term brain damage, even though the NCAA knew about the dangers. The tip of the iceberg were several lawsuits filed on January 25, 2019. In one lawsuit, former Cameron University football player, Abe Mack IV, sued the NCAA for injuries sustained a result of NCAA’s “reckless disregard for [his and others similarly situated] health …

January 31, 2019 Class Actions / Concussions / Litigation / NFL

Law Firm Asks For $3.2M From Concussion Settlement Fund

Seeger Weiss LLP, a law firm representing some of the former NFL players involved in a class action lawsuit against the NFL, asked Untied States District Court Judge Anita Brody to distribute $3.2 million from a common benefit fund to pay Seeger Weiss LLP, and a handful of other firms, for work they performed in the class-action lawsuit.

As we have previously reported, in April 2015, the NFL entered into a settlement agreement with almost 22,000 former players. The settlement established a 65-year uncapped …

January 22, 2019 Concussions

Former Field Hockey Athlete Fights to Hold American University Liable

Jennifer Bradly, former field hockey athlete at American University, argued against the University’s motion for summary judgment, contending that the motion contains identical arguments to a motion to dismiss that has already been denied.

Bradley suffered a concussion in 2011 when she was hit in the head with a stick during a game, and brought suit in April 2014, alleging that the school and the doctors who treated her failed to attend to her medical needs. She states that she has brought “ample evidence” to …