Nevada high court ruling brings Gruden case one step closer to trial
The Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against the National Football League in the NFL’s bid to rehear a court decision that favored former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden, bringing Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL closer to a public trial.
In Thursday’s ruling, the Nevada Supreme Court denied the league’s appeal of the court’s August ruling that Gruden could move forward with a lawsuit and sidestep arbitration proceedings that the NFL wanted.
Gruden sued the league and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in 2021, arguing that leaked emails he wrote years earlier had pushed the Raiders to fire him. When he sent the emails, Gruden was an on-air analyst for ESPN.
He sought damages for tortious interference with his contract with the Raiders, negligence and civil conspiracy.
Gruden resigned as Raiders coach after news reports about his racist, misogynist and anti-LGBTQ emails. The NFL has denied leaking the emails.
Thursday’s 7-0 ruling pushed Gruden’s lawsuit one step closer to trial, though the NFL could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a text message sent to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gruden’s lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, said Gruden’s team was “obviously pleased with the court’s decision.”
The court had previously ruled Gruden could be required to undergo arbitration because he agreed to be bound by the NFL constitution as part of his Raiders employment agreement. The Aug. 11 decision came after Gruden sought reconsideration from the high court.
In 2022, the NFL appealed to Nevada’s high court after a judge in Las Vegas rejected league bids to dismiss Gruden’s claim outright or to order out-of-court talks through an arbitration process that could be overseen by Goodell.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.