Corboy & Demetrio Files New Concussion Lawsuit for Two Former Blackhawks against NHL Alleging New ‘League of Denial’
Corboy & Demetrio has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniel Carcillo, who won two Stanley Cups for the Chicago Blackhawks, and Nick Boynton, who played hockey for 11 seasons in the NHL, including winning the Stanley Cup for the Blackhawks in 2010. The lawsuit seeks to hold the alleged new ‘League of Denial’ NHL accountable for withholding information on CTE.
Carcillo played in 474 NHL games over nine seasons for the Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings. Boynton’s 605-game NHL career included playing for the Boston Bruins for seven seasons and the Blackhawks for two.
Both players claim they suffered repeated concussive and sub-concussive brain injuries throughout their careers and that they were never warned of the significant risk of brain damage because the League withheld the information from them and other players of their era.
The NHL consistently "allowed and encouraged’ Carcillo and Boynton, after suffering concussions, to return to play in the same game or practice, the complaint alleges.
"Why won’t the NHL acknowledge the reality that participating in their league increases a player’s risk for long-term brain damage? Why won’t the NHL step up and take care of those that have had the damage done to their brains? Daniel Carcillo and Nick Boynton are demanding accountability from the NHL,” said attorney William T. Gibbs of Corboy & Demetrio, which represents Carcillo and Boynton.
Carcillo was teammates with Steve Montador, a former NHL player who died at age 35 and was discovered to have CTE in his brain, whose family is also represented by Corboy & Demetrio.
"I'm doing this on behalf of all former NHL players that are struggling with the difficulties of transitioning from a life in the NHL with brains that have been damaged.” Carcillo said. “Players today are still being denied proper care for concussions. It's time for the NHL to finally acknowledge that serious, permanent damage can be done if head trauma is ignored or neglected. I hope that any proceeds that we recover can be used to further concussion research. Furthering research is paramount in this fight for proper understanding, diagnosis and care for traumatic brain injury,” he added.
According to Gibbs, “The NHL is long overdue in acknowledging the significant risks inherent in their style of game. Daniel Carcillo, Nick Boynton and others have seen, first-hand, how playing in the NHL can cause CTE.”
Gibbs and Corboy & Demetrio Co-founder Thomas Demetrio were appointed by a federal judge in Minneapolis to the Plaintiff's Executive Committee in the multidistrict NHL concussion litigation. In addition to representing Carcillo and Boynton, they represent the Estate of Steve Montador; the Estate of Dave Duerson, the late NFL player who asked his brain to be studied for CTE at the time of his suicide; the Estate of former San Francisco 49er, Forrest Blue, who was also diagnosed with CTE in on autopsy after years of battling Lewy body dementia; and former NFL Player and broadcaster Mike Adamle.
In all, Demetrio and Gibbs represent more than 100 former professional athletes in concussion-related litigation, including former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung.
Case info: Carcillo and Boynton v. NHL, 18-CV-01715, filed in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota on 6-21-18.