Friday, June 8, 2012

MAJOR NFL RETIREES "CONCUSSION" LAWSUIT IN PHILADELPHIA

In the continuing battle between retired National Football League (NFL) players and the League, more than 2,300 retired players in 86 ongoing lawsuits have consolidated their efforts for relief into on major complaint filed on Thursday, June 7th, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

The new lawsuit highlights the dangers of head injuries and alleges that the NFL, for decades, hid the risks of these injuries to players and ignored mounting evidence of the long-term effects that head concussions can have on players, including dementia and chronic depression.

A panel of federal judges in January 2012 directed the NFL-retiree plaintiffs to consolidate all of the 86 or so lawsuits together into a single civil complaint, the one filed on Thursday in Philadelphia where a large number of these actions have already been brought.

The new federal civil lawsuit seeks the following from the NFL: coverage of the health-care costs, unspecified monetary damages, and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 class action status (as well as 28 USCA § 1332 (d)).

The NFL has until August 9th, 2012 to move for dismissal of the lawsuit, or otherwise answer it. The League may request an extension of time in which to respond to the complaint since, as NFL officials allegedly state, the League wants to settle this matter through collective bargaining.

[WSJ, Friday, 6/8/2012; msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/over-2k-ex-players]

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