Judge pushes concussion cases
A judge has publicly urged both sides in the major rugby brain‑injury lawsuit to hurry up, expressing frustration at the slow pace of these landmark concussion cases (theguardian.com). The comment ramps pressure on legal teams and could accelerate settlements or trials that shape player welfare policy going forward (theguardian.com).
Senior Master Jeremy Cook presided over the March 18, 2026 case‑management hearing that prompted his rebuke and noted that “some of these claims are now over five years old.” (theguardian.com) The group litigation now comprises roughly 1,100 former players after a court deadline on May 30, 2025 expanded the roll to about 784 rugby‑union claimants and 319 rugby‑league claimants. (planetrugby.com) Richard Boardman, sole director of claimant firm Rylands Garth, has been repeatedly criticised in court for disclosure failings while representing hundreds of the plaintiffs. (lawgazette.co.uk) An appeal judgment delivered on December 22, 2025 by Justice Dexter Dias (Lord Justice Dias) dismissed the players’ challenge to case management orders and upheld requirements to hand over medical and neurological records. (france24.com) The Telegraph reported the appeal loss left “more than half” of the 321 league claimants and roughly a fifth of the 773 union claimants at risk of having their claims struck out if disclosure orders are not complied with. (telegraph.co.uk) The court had imposed an “unless” disclosure timetable that required extensive medical disclosure by the end of October 2025; Rylands Garth’s failure to meet that timetable was a central reason for the December appeal ruling. (smartb.com.au)
