Rugby Brain Injury Court Case at Risk of Collapse
The unions say lawyers failed to disclose medical records, while claimants argue the move would unfairly end hundreds of brain injury cases.
- World Rugby, the RFU, and the WRU asked London's High Court yesterday to dismiss nearly 380 lawsuits from former players, arguing their legal representatives repeatedly failed to disclose key medical evidence.
- Around 800 former players allege repeated concussive blows during their rugby careers caused serious neurological conditions, though governing bodies deny wrongdoing and argue injuries are an "inherent risk" of the sport.
- At the hearing yesterday, lawyers for the governing bodies sought dismissal of 378 rugby union claims and 132 rugby league claims, citing systemic non-compliance with court orders.
- Lawyer Susan Rodway argued dismissal would be an "extreme response," stating claimants provided the vast majority of required documents and the litigation holds significant public interest.
- Lead firm Rylands Garth recently notified the court of its intention to step away from the case, which began in 2022, adding uncertainty to the proceedings.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Since their counsel had failed to transmit certain documents in time, several hundred former English, Welsh and Scottish rugbymen feared that their legal action against their federation would end prematurely.
leprogres.fr
A British lawyer, representing hundreds of former players who had attacked the rugby courts for failing to protect their health sufficiently, had committed a procedural defect that could be fatal to dozens of complainants.
The lawyer, who represents several players and former international English, Welsh or Scottish players who have taken legal action against their sports authorities, did not provide certain documents which were essential to the case on time.
On Friday, the judge in charge of the case indicated that the lawyer for the victims of concussion had not transmitted the documents in time.
Rugby brain injury court case at risk of collapse
A mix of professional and amateur players claim that World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), England's Rugby Football Union (RFU), the Rugby Football League and the British Amateur Rugby League Association breached a duty of care to protect them from injury. But the presiding judge at London's High Court is now deciding whether to strike out 95 percent of the first batch of 561 claimants on the grounds they failed to comply with a ruling to di…
Rugby brain injuries case: High Court told claim should be thrown out
The High Court heard arguments regarding whether a substantial portion of a multi-million-pound concussion litigation case should be dismissed. Players from rugby union and rugby league have filed claims asserting that sport authorities failed to implement adequate protections against repeated head impacts. The governing bodies named as defendants—World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Rugby Football Union, and the Rugby Football League—maintai…
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