The Nevada State Supreme Court agreed to stay former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s lawsuit until the NFL’s appeal in the case is decided.
The NFL’s motion to pause proceedings in the civil case as the appeal is decided was made in a one-page order signed by chief justice Ron D. Parraguirre along with justices Douglas Herndon and Patricia Lee filed on Monday.
The decision to stay proceedings comes after a series of setbacks for the NFL at the trial court level since Gruden first filed his lawsuit in November 2021, weeks after he resigned from the Raiders after a series of racist, sexist, and anti-gay emails from Gruden were published.
The order means that discovery won’t progress as the appeal is decided.
“For now, [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell — and maybe even Dan Snyder — can breathe a huge sigh of relief,” sports attorney Daniel Wallach, co-host of the Conduct Detrimental podcast and the first to report the stay, told Front Office Sports.
“It will likely be up to a year or longer before the lawsuit resumes, meaning that the source of the leaked emails will remain a mystery for at least a little while longer. If the case ends up in arbitration before Roger Goodell or a league-appointed arbitrator as a result of a later Nevada Supreme Court ruling, it could become an even bigger win for the NFL.”
District Court Judge Nancy Allf denied the NFL’s motions to compel arbitration and dismiss the case last year. The NFL filed its appeal in October.
The order from the Nevada State Supreme Court deals with the Allf’s denial of the NFL’s arbitration motion.
