The NHL has been fighting a concussion lawsuit filed by over 140 ex-players in 2013 who accused the NHL of not being transparent and educating them on the harm that they could suffer due to concussion related injuries.
A total of 146 players have battled hard to get the NHL to take responsibility and compensate them in multiple ways for concussion related injuries and treatment. The legal team tried to turn this into a class action lawsuit earlier this year but the attempt was dismissed by a District Judge.
After a 5 year battle, the NHL has finally reached an agreement without admitting to any liability. The NHL has agreed to pay out a total of $19 million where each player will receive around $22,000. A total of $7 million will also be collected as legal fees.
In a statement, the NHL said
The NHL does not acknowledge any liability for the Plaintiffs' claims in these cases. However, the parties agree that the settlement is a fair and reasonable resolution and that it is in the parties' respective best interests to receive the benefits of the settlement and to avoid the burden, risk and expense of further litigation
The NHL has also agreed to pay for treatment (up to $75,000) for those players who test positive for concussions on a minimum of two tests. The league will also cover neurological testing and player assessment fees. The settlement also calls for the creation of a fund known as the ‘Common Good Fun’ which will look to address the welfare of former NHL players. The league will have to contribute $2.5 million to this fund.
CBC News: The National
The players who filed the lawsuit have been given up to 75 days to accept the NHL settlement. Players who agree to this deal automatically waive their rights to pursue any future related concussion lawsuits against the NHL.
The NHL has done pretty well for itself in this settlement as many players expected to be paid a lot more. This isn’t the first concussion related lawsuit that the NHL is facing but Commissioner Gary Bettman continues to hold the view that there is no relation between hockey and CTE and CTE and concussions. The NHL has however updated its rules to provide harsher penalties for hits to a player’s
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