At some point, the news regarding concussion lawsuits filed by former players will shift from who’s joining the effort to whether the effort is actually moving toward a conclusion.
It could take a while.
Last month’s “initial organization conference” for the Philadelphia-based federal lawsuit in which a large number of the claims have been combined apparently devotes most of the remainder of the current year to the initial question of whether the claims against the NFL should be kicked out of court and resolved through the procedures set forth in the various labor contracts.
While the court order states that the NFL’s motion to dismiss the case will be considered on an expedited basis, the order also sets forth various deadlines indicating that the issue won’t be teed up for disposition by the court until late November, when the last written arguments are filed on the issue.
Meanwhile, more and more former players ultimately will sign up, either by adding their names to the mass litigation or by filing separate cases throughout the country, which the NFL will promptly attempt to move to federal court. If successful, those claims will be added to the mass lawsuit headquartered in Philadelphia.
If not successful, the NFL will face multiple different legal fronts in various jurisdictions throughout the country, with dramatically increased expenses and obligations to provide evidence and testimony.
Ultimately, the NFL could face multiple trials.
Either way, these cases won’t be resolved any time soon.