Closing Bell
Saints Sue Eight Former Players Over Workers Comp Claims
Saints Sue Eight Former Players
The NFL and Saints sued eight of the team’s former players and the NFLPA yesterday, alleging the players are required to drop workers compensation claims filed in California. Arbitrator Michael Beck on Tuesday found the players had improperly filed the claims in California because their player contracts required them to file them in Louisiana, rejecting their argument that California law superseded their contracts. A copy of his 21-page decision was attached to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and seeks enforcement of the arbitrator’s decision.
Where players can file workers compensation was an issue in the recently concluded labor battle between the NFL and NFLPA, but the two sides chose to leave the matter unresolved. California has liberal workers comp rules, so players want to file there, while non-California teams want them to file in the home state of the club. The former players named in the lawsuit are Cam Cleeland, Roderick Coleman, Donta Jones, Michael Lewis, Victor Riley, Terrelle Smith, Damon Nivens, and Phil McGeoghan. The complaint states they filed in California in '10, and that year the league, on behalf of the Saints, filed grievances that the filings breached their contracts, which allegedly specifically required them to file in Louisiana.
A hearing was held before Beck on Oct. 19, 2010, the lawsuit states. He was selected as part of the arbitration process in the old CBA. He did reject the league’s efforts to force the players to pay attorney costs.
