One would think the Third Circuit’s approval of the uncapped settlement between the NFL and a class of former players would have ended the controversial litigation; however, it has ultimately led to additional legal action. Not only are the NFL insurers suing to avoid paying costs associated with the settlement, but several players involved in the settlement have requested that the court prevent their former attorneys from claiming an entitlement to their individual awards.
According to the settlement, players diagnosed with certain brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, can receive as much as $5 million. Under this deal, former Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers and other former players are entitled to this individual award. As a result, they recently asked a Pennsylvania federal court to prevent the former firms that represented them from taking any portion of this award.
Throughout the course of the litigation, the NFL players retained several firms. The players were dissatisfied with the firms’ services and ended their attorney-client relationships many months before approval of the uncapped settlement. The players won their settlement through the representation of attorney James Acho of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho PLC. They assert that Acho did “all the work” in fighting for their payments and the former firms, which didn’t make any substantial efforts in obtaining the individual awards, are asserting liens or have threatened liens against the awards.
The players asked the court to bar the former firms from placing any liens on the individual awards because the firms are seeking “to unjustly enrich themselves” on an award that was achieved by Acho and should only be given to his firm.