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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTwo Indianapolis law firms involved in the 2017 National Football League concussion settlement are suing a Pennsylvania-based firm for allegedly failing to pay them their part of a fee-sharing agreement.
Cohen Malad LLP and Riley Bennett Egloff LLP filed the lawsuit in Marion County on Friday, saying Grossinger Law Firm agreed to pay them 37.5% and 25%, respectively, of the attorney fees collected for their involvement in representing a class of former NFL players who suffered traumatic brain injuries, but that the firm has not done so.
According to the lawsuit, the total fees collected amount to $265,098.03, with Cohen Malad supposed to receive more than $99,000 and RBE more than $66,000. According to the Feb. 6, 2017, agreement, Grossinger would have taken in 37.5% of the fees.
The Indiana Lawyer reached out to James Doppke, of Chicago-based Robinson Stewart Montgomery & Doppke LLC, for comment on the lawsuit, but he did not immediately respond. Doppke is listed on the summons as the person in care of Grossinger Law Firm.
According to the lawsuit, the disputed fees arise from attorney-fee recoveries connected to claims made through the NFL Concussion Settlement Program.
In 2017, the NFL finalized a 65-year settlement program to resolve claims related to brain injuries allegedly caused by head impacts experienced in professional football.
Cohen Malad and RBE represented a retired NFL player in the settlement. They say Grossinger received or controlled the attorney fees subject to the three firms’ fee-sharing agreement but failed to give the Indianapolis firms their share of the pot.
The firms are specifically charging Grossinger with breach of contract and civil conversion, which is when someone wrongfully takes or holds another person’s property without permission.
Cohen Malad and RBE emphasized in the complaint that they are not looking to modify the settlement program.
In recent years, investigations by The Washington Post have revealed that claims administrators hired by the NFL to process claims routinely denied claims even after approved doctors certified them.
The Brain Injury Association of America pushed for the settlement’s rejection in 2016, saying the agreement excluded the vast majority of players suffering from traumatic brain injury conditions and that it did not provide effective treatment options for class members.
As of 2026, the NFL has paid out more than $1 billion in awards.
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