NFL drops appeal over dementia claims in concussion case
Source: Associated Press
NFL drops appeal over dementia claims in concussion case
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
January 9, 2019
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The NFL abruptly dropped its plan Wednesday to challenge approved dementia diagnoses in a landmark concussion case as players lawyers accuse it of trying to delay payments and rewrite the $1 billion settlement.
A federal court hearing set for Thursday on the NFLs appeal was canceled Wednesday afternoon as the league dropped its appeal. Instead, U.S. District Judge Anita Brody issued an order requiring doctors to explain their findings in certain cases.
The NFL had asked to challenge some diagnoses made by settlement-approved doctors and upheld by a court-appointed administrator whose decisions are supposed to be final. The league nonetheless filed an appeal on the grounds that the standards used to diagnose the ex-players with dementia were not being applied consistently.
The NFL argued that it had agreed to remove a $765 million cap on payouts only in exchange for a clear demarcation of the boundary between compensable and non-compensable levels of impairment.
Some players lawyers said the NFL is having buyers remorse as the early payouts surge past early projections in the 65-year settlement.
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