PITTSBURGH — Two parents are leading a class-action lawsuit filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation Inc. and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association Inc., claiming the defendants failed to exercise reasonable care for the safety of minor soccer players.
Cara Sherman and Mary McCauley Siler filed a complaint on June 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that their children who play soccer have a high risk of developing neurological injuries later in life. The parents claim the defendants are negligent because they failed to mandate the use of a proper headgear to prevent or reduce the number of soccer-induced concussions.
The plaintiffs claim the defendants are negligent because they allegedly failed to inform the players and their parents about concussion safety and prevention, failed to require players to wear headgear to reduce concussive symptoms and/or injuries and failed to adopt rules to minimize the risk of players suffering debilitating concussions.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek certification as a class, the award of economic, monetary, actual, consequential, compensatory and punitive damages, litigation expenses, attorney's fees, interest, injunctive relief and further relief as the court deems just. They are represented by Joseph Murphy of J. Murphy Firm in Pittsburgh, Scott Hare of Law Office of Scott Michael Hare in Pittsburgh and John Quinn, Matthew Logue, James Thornburg and J. Julius Bolock of Quinn Logue LLC in Pittsburgh.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 18-cv-709