NHL player’s lawsuit against teams, Chubb dismissed
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A federal judge has dismissed a retired National Hockey League player’s lawsuits against Chubb Group — now Chubb Ltd. — and two NHL teams because of a lack of jurisdiction.
Last year, Mike Peluso, a former “enforcer” for the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues in the 1990s, sued the teams and Chubb, which wrote the workers compensation policy that covered Mr. Peluso, in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to documents in Michael Peluso v. New Jersey Devils L.L.C.; St. Louis Blues Hockey Club, L.P.; Chubb Group Holdings Inc., he alleged that the defendants had failed to disclose medical information related to workers comp claims for head trauma and brain disease. He also claimed that he had been inadequately warned of his risk of further brain injury and of his fitness to continue playing hockey after suffering a concussion and later suffering a grand mal seizure.
Mr. Peluso, a current resident of Minnesota, sued in the Minnesota court because he had been a Minnesota resident throughout his career.
Chubb and the NHL teams moved to have the court dismiss the suit last August, arguing among other things that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter. Mr. Peluso attempted to file an amended complaint, with further allegations of concealed medical records.
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Nelson ruled in favor of the defendants on Friday and rejected Mr. Peluso’s attempt to pursue an amended complaint. In her opinion, she noted that Mr. Peluso never played a hockey game in Minnesota, which did not have a professional hockey team during his tenure with the Devils and the Blues. In fact, she wrote, “nothing in Peluso’s Proposed Amended Complaint shows that Defendants’ conduct is connected to Minnesota by anything other than Peluso’s residence here.”
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