Earlier this week, 7 retired NFL players asked CA3 to let them appeal from the district court’s order certifying a settlement class in the ongoing concussion lawsuit brought by players against the NFL. Today, Public Citizen filed an amicus in support of the 7 seeking to appeal. The New York Times wrote that the request to appeal appeal is “an unusual strategy because the proposed settlement is not final and may still be altered.”
Unusual or not, the appeal effort has real legal muscle behind it. Counsel for the players is Martin Totaro, an appellate specialist at MoloLamken in DC and a former Smith clerk, and the Philly powerhouse Hangley Aronchick. And Public Citizen and Alan Morrison are widely respected repeat players in class-action-fairness litigation.
Stay tuned.
Update: the CA3 website’s ‘cases of interest’ page gives a link to the players’ petition to appeal, but the link doesn’t work currently.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t speak up for the objectors Pa.-based counsel: Bill Hangley of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller! (http://www.hangley.com/William_T_Hangley/)
John, when I typed “real legal muscle” I had in mind to mention Hangley, too. But, as so often happens, my verbosity and curiosity outlasted my attention-span. Thanks for the gentle reminder.