Court Says Ex-NFL Player Should Arbitrate Dispute Over Career Ending Injuries

In Redmon v. Society and Corp. of Lloyds, No. 3:05-CV-387-WKW, 2006 WL 1635435 (M.D. Ala. Jun 15, 2006), Redmon, a former player with the Atlanta Falcons, took out disability insurance policies with Petersen International and Certain Underwriters in the event his career ended due to injury. The policies excluded injuries to his left knee, and included a mandatory arbitration clause.

When Redmon’s career ended in 2001 due to right knee and shoulder injuries, he filed a claim to collect under the policies. When the companies refused, Redmon sued them and several other parties that provided support to the insurance company, such as Lloyd’s of London, to collect under the policy. Both the insurance companies and the other defendants, many of whom were not signatories to the arbitration agreement, filed motions to compel arbitration.

The Court compelled arbitration of all of Redmon’s claims. In ordering Redmon to arbitrate his claims against the insurance companies, the Court noted that Redmon failed to identify “any basis whatsoever to raise a question of arbitrability.” Instead, all of Redmon’s arguments raised the very kind of factual issues that were to be decided by the arbitrator.