Nevada high court sides with Jon Gruden in lawsuit over NFL emails

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LAS VEGAS -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Monday sided with former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden in his lawsuit alleging the NFL leaked damaging emails to the media before he resigned from the team in 2021.

In their 5-2 ruling, justices did not determine whether or not the league had leaked Gruden's emails, but they found that the league's decision to force his complaint into arbitration proceedings overseen by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- the target of Gruden's civil lawsuit -- was "unconscionable."

As a former employee, Gruden should not have been bound by a provision in the NFL Constitution mandating arbitration for such complaints, the court ruled.

"By its own unambiguous language, the NFL Constitution no longer applies to Gruden," the justices wrote. "If the NFL Constitution were to bind former employees, the Commissioner could essentially pick and choose which disputes to arbitrate."

All seven justices reconsidered the findings after a smaller panel of the court last year split 2-1 decision to dismiss Gruden's civil case. The same three justices on July 1, 2024 rejected, by the same 2-1 margin, a request from Gruden's attorneys to reconsider.

"We're very pleased with the Nevada Supreme Court's decision, not just for Coach Gruden but for all employees facing an employer's unfair arbitration process," said Adam Hosmer-Henner of McDonald Carano LLP, attorneys for Jon Gruden. "This victory further vindicates Coach Gruden's reputation, and it clears the way to swiftly bringing him full justice and holding the NFL accountable."

The NFL's only remaining avenue would be an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. An NFL spokesman declined to comment.

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