Lawyers for the NFL urged a federal judge Wednesday to appoint a special investigator to look into what the league said is extensive fraud in claims on the $1 billion concussion settlement.

NFL attorneys said a study by the independent auditors in the claims process showed about 440 claims were flagged for denial based on evidence of fraud by attorneys http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-denzel-ward-jersey , doctors or former players. Lawyers representing the former players and their estates said most of the opportunity for fraud has been resolved because anyone filing a claim after the settlement’s effective date has to see a neuro-specialist from a list of approved certified physicians.

The settlement, which took effect January 2017, resolved thousands of lawsuits that accused the NFL of hiding what it knew about the risks of repeated concussions.

It covers retired players who develop Lou Gehrig’s disease, dementia or other neurological problems believed to be caused by concussions suffered during their pro careers, with awards as high as $5 million for the most serious cases.

”We are talking about significant evidence of widespread fraud. We’re not talking about a difference in medical opinion,” said NFL attorney Richard Tarlowe.

Tarlowe showed evidence in fraud designations against eight doctors, two law firms and a former player. He focused on practices including doctors seeing players for evaluation not in clinical settings, but in hotel rooms, law offices or other places. He also cited a doctor who said she spent seven to 12 hours evaluating each patient, but approved sometimes as many as eight patients a day.

”That’s physically impossible based on how long she said it takes,” he said.

Three different attorneys who represent dozens of claimants spoke for the former players Wednesday. Two said they objected to the appointment of a special investigator with subpoena power and the ability to compel testimony.

They said the current structure is more than adequate for identifying fraud and not paying out claims. They also said the rules that became effective in January 2017 including the approved physicians list will greatly reduce the opportunity for fraudulent claims.

League lawyers said investigating the fraud claims has contributed to the slower determinations and awarding of money for legitimate claims. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have said the settlement process is moving too slowly.

The claims administrators confirmed Wednesday that more than $300 million has been paid out from about $439 million that has been awarded through the claims process- nearly three times the expected amount for the first year of the settlement.

They also said they have the ability to determine if a claim is fraudulent and flag it for denial. The power of a special investigator would be to determine if there was purposeful intent behind the fraudulent claims.

Tarlowe said if intent is determined, cases could be referred to the Department of Justice Russell Bodine Color Rush Jersey , lawyers and doctors could be turned in to professional ethics panels and lose their ability to practice or other punitive measures might be taken.

Judge Anita Brody said she had only seen one case of fraud against a former player out of almost 20,000 possible claimants who registered.

”To be clear we are talking mostly about the doctors and lawyers in these cases,” she said.
The Vegas Golden Knights were a 500-to-1 long shot to win the Stanley Cup before the NHL season began in October. Their surprisingly successful inaugural season is still rolling along, and they’re one win from a berth to the Stanley Cup final.

Reilly Smith scored on a breakaway late in the third period to lead Vegas to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of the Western Conference final Friday night.

Vegas can clinch the conference title and advance to the Stanley Cup final when the series resumes Sunday in Winnipeg.

”The last one is always the toughest to get,” Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said.

William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek also scored for Vegas, and Fleury, ninth all-time in postseason wins, turned in another spectacular performance by making 36 saves to earn his 73rd career playoff victory. The 14-year veteran goalie, left exposed by the Pittsburgh Penguins for Vegas to select him in the expansion draft, continues to have a career-best postseason as he aims for a third straight Stanley Cup title.

”I think we’ve got to keep the same mindset,” said Fleury, who has a 1.72 goals against average and .945 save percentage in the playoffs. ”Just take it one game at time and not think too far ahead and be ready to play that next game Vikings Cheap Jerseys , because they’re going to be coming hard.”

It’s something the Jets have already been doing, even in their three losses in the series.

Asked how his team has been able to survive Winnipeg’s tenacious attack, Smith replied: ”He’s sitting right next to me,” referring to Fleury at the postgame news conference.

But with the game tied at 2, it was Smith who made the big play after racing down the left side of the rink and beating Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck above his blocker to put the Golden Knights ahead with 6:58 left.

Hellebuyck made 27 saves, but lost for the third consecutive game despite telling reporters after Game 3 that he liked his game better than Fleury’s. Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers scored for Winnipeg, which is on the brink of elimination.

”I know we can win a game, we’re a good enough team,” Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. ”We’ve battled. We’ve gone into some pretty heavy environments and won a game that we needed to win. So it’s just one game.”

The Jets took over where they left off in the third period of Game 3 by outskating the Golden Knights in the first period of Game 4, but Karlsson’s power-play goal was the difference. Off the draw, Smith found Jonathan Marchessault, who fed Karlsson for the one-timer that gave Vegas a 1-0 lead.

In a case of deja vu from Game 3 Jonathan Villar Jersey , when Vegas responded 12 seconds after giving up a 1-0 lead, Winnipeg and the Golden Knights traded goals 43 seconds apart midway through the second period.

First, it was Laine’s one-timer on the power play that even Fleury wasn’t catching up to and it tied the game at the 9:29 mark. Then, it was Hellebuyck failing to secure a shot by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who raced to the puck and fed Nosek, who punched in his first career playoff goal to put Vegas up 2-1.

”It’s a good way to be, when they get one, the next guy’s up and ready to go,” said Golden Knights forward James Neal, who is looking to make it to the Stanley Cup final for a second consecutive year after getting there with Nashville last season. ”It’s always hard when you get one and the other team scores right away, it kind of takes the wind right back out of you. For us being at home, it just energizes the building. As soon as it sucks the wind out Customized New York Giants Jerseys , boom, huge goal, and we’re back.

”That was a great goal by Nose.”

The Jets outshot the Golden Knights 12-2 by the midway point of the third period – including Myers’ tying goal – keeping Fleury busy. But the three-time Cup champion was finished allowing anything in his net.

”We win that game nine times out of 10 – tonight was that one,” Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler said. ”Their goalie made some extraordinary saves, he’s a good player. You’ve got to sometimes take your hat off to a good player.”

NOTES: The Golden Knights and Jets joined a record 18,697 in attendance in a moment of silence for those affected by the shootings at Santa Fe High School in Texas on Friday. … Jets forward Mark Scheifele, who registered his 10th and 11th road goals in Game 3 to set a single-year NHL postseason record, had his six-game goal streak as a visitor end.

UP NEXT

Game 5 is at Winnipeg on Sunday.

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