No surprise judge rejected NFL concussion settlement

A leading labor law expert has told the LA Times that he is not surprised a federal judge rejected the NFL’s ¢765-million concussion settlement because of concerns that the amount will be insufficient to cover all injured parties.

Stanford law professor William B. Gould is quoted as saying:

"“I thought the NFL got off very easy given the amount of money involved, the number of potential claimants, and the revenue that the NFL has. I would have expected this settlement to be in the billions of dollars.”"

This comes after US District Judge Anita Brody declined to approve the proposed settlement  which includes a $675-million monetary award fund with a 65-year lifespan.

In her opinion, Judge Brody wrote:

"“In light of my duty to protect the rights of all potential class members and the insufficiency of the current record, I will deny the Motion without prejudice”"

Gould told the Times that such a rejection is

"“The exception but not the rule. It’s somewhat unusual, but by no means unheard of. And of course, given the qualifications she’s put on her opinion, it may be that she will reconsider this in light of the documentation that she said was lacking.”"