On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody severed claims against helmet company, Riddell Inc., from those pursued against the NFL in relation to a suit brought by players who have sustained traumatic head injuries during their careers.
A settlement between the NFL and the players was reached back in April, however, this settlement did not include the Riddell defendants. The court addressed the Riddell defendants on Tuesday, when it granted the helmet company’s motion for severance.
In granting Riddell’s motion for severance, Judge Brody reasoned that although the claims raised by the players are directed at the deficiencies in Riddell’s helmets, each player’s injury may be unique to the type of helmet they wore and the time period they used the product. However, the severance does not mean that Riddell is off of the hook in terms of litigation. Players will be able to pursue their claims against the helmet company by filing individual served complaints. In the order, Judge Brody noted that the players will be limited to the same claims that were raised in the original complaint.
One can only ascertain that the players will continue to pursue legal recourse against Riddell. The deadline to file the severed complaints has been set for January 29, 2016.