Former NFLer Fred Dryer, whose name titles the NFL Films lawsuit the league yesterday announced it was settling, said he and the other six original plaintiffs oppose the deal and their lawyer would file a motion Friday outlining the objections. “Every one of the original plaintiffs oppose this settlement,” Dryer wrote in an e-mail. Dryer v NFL, filed in August '09, alleged the NFL has used the images of retirees in NFL Films without their permission. The proposed settlement, which is subject to court approval, would pay $42M to a retirees fund and $8M for legal fees and to start up a new licensing agency. The agency would represent retirees non-exclusively for their publicity rights.
Dan Gustafson, the court-appointed settlement lawyer who spoke at the NFL press conference yesterday unveiling the settlement, said he believed the court would approve the deal despite the original seven’s objections. They want a substantially higher settlement amount, checks sent to individual plaintiffs, and they oppose the agency, Gustafson explained. Their choices are to stay in the settlement process and object, or opt out and pursue new litigation, he said. The Minnesota federal court is expected to rule on the proposed settlement by the end of August.
