The Associated Press is reporting that the Illinois High School Association has filed a motion in Cook County Circuit Court asking the court to dismiss a class-action concussion lawsuit that was filed last year.
That lawsuit doesn’t seek monetary damages, but it asks the court approve requirements that medical personnel be present at all games and practices. In addition, it also asks for the IHSA to pay for medical testing of former high school football players going back to 2002.
According to the AP story, the motion to dismiss, calls the lawsuit “a misguided effort that threatens high school football.” The 16-page motion also states that the IHSA has been proactive in head-injury management.
In the past, IHSA executive director Marty Hickman has stated that court-imposed mandates could make the sport too expensive for poorer schools and create a “have and have nots” system.
When the suit was filed in November, the lead plaintiff in the the lawsuit was Daniel Bukal, an ex-quarterback at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois. However earlier this year, Bukal was replaced in an amended suit by Alex Pierscionek, a former South Elgin High School lineman, who alleges that he still suffers memory loss from concussions he received while playing from 2010 to 2014.
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