Updated: 1:46 p.m.
|(Bloomberg) -- The National Football League’s insurers werecleared to begin gathering evidence in their effort to avoid payingthe league more than $1 billion in costs for thousands of lawsuitsby former players over head injuries.
|Related: Invisible killer
|A New York state judge on Friday said insurers can proceed tocollect documents and interview officials and doctors in their caseagainst the NFL. Insurers, including TravelersCos. and Markel Corp.’sAlterra America Insurance Co., filed lawsuits seeking a ruling thatthey aren’t obligated to provide coverage. The NFL had soughtto keep the insurers’ suits on hold while it resolved claimscovering more than 20,000 retired players who accused the league ofnegligence and failing to inform them of the link between repeatedhead trauma and brain injury.
|Earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Philadelphiafound the $765 million settlement between the NFL andretired players imperfect, but fair. About 1% of theplayers opted out of the settlement, and some who objected to thedeal asked the appeals court yesterday to review itsdecision.
|California case on hold pending outcome of NY lawsuits
The NFL sued more than 30 insurers in California state court inAugust 2012, accusing them of refusing to pay for the defense ofthe concussion suits. Insurance companies fired back later thatmonth with their own cases in New York, seeking a declaration thatthey don’t have to provide coverage. The California case was put onhold pending the outcome of the New York suits.
The cases are Alterra America Insurance Co. V. NFL,652813/2012 and Discovery Property & Casualty Co. VNFL, 652933/2012, both in New York State Supreme Court, NewYork County.
|Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.
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