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The free agent, Antonio Brown, continues with a civil claim of sexual assault and rape. As the case moves toward a trial set up in December 2021, the attorneys representing the attorneys are looking for evidence to support the claims.
As part of the broad and important ‘discovery process’ that takes place in every civil case, the attorneys representing Britney Taylor addressed proposed subpoenas to Brown’s various NFL teams for information regarding his service. The summonses are aimed at “correspondence, memoranda, communications, agreements, messages or other written documentation” in the possession, custody or control of the Buccaneers, Steelers, Patriots, Raiders and NFL Properties regarding Brown. Via Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times, the presiding judge recently ruled that the summonses against the league, the Bucs, the Patriots and the Raiders could be served. As for the Steelers, the judge concluded that the request was “beyond the scope of the relevant discovery”.
The verdict comes in response to an objection from Brown’s attorneys. The individual teams and the league have separate rights to oppose the requests. From a PR perspective, however, any attempt to investigate the investigation that is hampered within the confines of the pending lawsuit against Brown may provoke criticism.
It is unclear whether Taylor’s attorneys are looking for documents that could cast the potential liability of Brown or his earnings or anything else that may be relevant to the claims. The standard for permissible discovery is very broad; any request reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence is a fair game.
Regardless of any documents obtained from the league or the Bucs, Patriots or Raiders, most of the discovery information will come during Brown’s testimony. If he behaves as he did at several appointments in the lawsuit due to alleged damage to a luxury apartment in Miami, the case that Taylor filed will not go well with Brown.