U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson today in Minnesota will hear arguments for and against a $50M settlement of a four-year-old lawsuit brought against NFL Films for allegedly using retirees’ images without their permission. Over 2,000 retirees, or about 9% of the total class, have opted out of the case. But since the proposed settlement was announced in March, Magnuson has made it clear in his rulings that he feels it is the best the former players can do.
More at issue apparently is whether he will lift his injunction against similar lawsuits brought by players who opted out. He already ordered two such lawsuits pulled, and this week counsel for the settlement attorneys filed motions arguing the stay on future litigation should remain until all appeals are exhausted. Counsel for the retirees who filed the now-terminated lawsuits filed counter motions arguing they should be allowed to refile the cases once Magnuson rules on the settlement.
The settlement provides from the NFL $8M for attorney fees and funds for a startup licensing agency, with the remainder dedicated to as-of-yet-undesignated charities that offer services to retirees. Up to $13M of the charities money, however, can be used by the NFL for legal costs in future cases.
