Link to Trial Order
After 2 separate trials against the Arena Football League, the Trial Court ruled in our client’s favor!! Huge win that took several hundred hours of work and involved numerous doctor depositions, lying factual witnesses, and 2 depositions of the Director of player personnel for the Arena Football League in Chicago.
The trial win awarded the player 2 years of past due lost wages, more than $ 25,000.00 worth of past medical treatment the player had to get on his own, and continuing treatment for his serious injuries. The League first tried to avoid responsibility by claiming the claimant had not passed a physical, which was rejected by the Court in the first trial. In the second trial the Arena Football League a tried to avoid responsibility by claiming their own standard football contract language was invalid.
Several coaches testified, as well as part owners of the team, the team doctor, the team trainer, and the football player himself. The claimant won the first trial , when the Court found the claimant had been injured(despite the team originally denying the videotape of the practice where the injury occurred). The Arena Football League argued their contract’s plain language was ambiguous, and that the contract wasn’t finalized until filed and signed in Illinois, which the Court rejected.
The complex case took 2 days worth of live testimony in addition to the depositions, so claimant thrilled with the big trial victory. Happy for the claimant after the Arena Football League had refused to settle, despite spending tens of thousands of dollars in Legal defense fees and costs.
The Arena Football League has appealed, but it is a clear C.S.E. case, with a solid order by the trial judge. The amount of money spent by the League in trying to avoid responsibility is staggering, always great to see Justice prevail on these hard-fought battles. The 2 years of litigation will be extended by the League’s refusal to accept the judgment.
