A Minnesota judge has ordered the NFL Players Association lawsuit filed on behalf of Tom Brady be transferred to Manhattan, according to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal. The NFLPA is suing the NFL on behalf of Brady in an attempt to vacate his four-game suspension that was handed down by the NFL for his part in DeflateGate, which was upheld upon appeal to the league on Tuesday.
Judge sends Tom Brady’s DeflateGate case to New York court
The NFL Players Association won’t get its case heard in Minnesota where they filed, and will have to battle the NFL in court in Manhattan.
Immediately after announcing Brady’s suspension was upheld, the league asked a federal judge in New York to affirm Goodell’s decision. Because that filing happened first, the Minnesota judge ordered the transfer. United States district judge Richard Kyle said in a statement that “This court perceives no reason for this action to proceed in Minnesota,” according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
“Indeed, the court sees little reason for this action to have been commenced in Minnesota at all,” says Kyle, via Garafolo. “Brady plays for a team in Massachusetts; the Union is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the NFL is headquartered in New York; the arbitration proceedings took place in New York and the award was issued in New York.”
The NFLPA plans to refile its lawsuit against the NFL immediately on Thursday, in Manhattan, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
This doesn’t guarantee that the NFL will win the case by any means, but the league obviously felt strongly enough about filing first in an area of their choosing that they believe it will make a difference. Getting your case heard in a place that has even a chance of being more sympathetic toward your argument can be considered a huge win.
Another portion of the statement from Minnesota makes it clear why this was done, saying “In this court’s view ... the New York Action triggers application of the first-filed rule,” as reported by Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
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