Settlement reached in case accusing Eli Manning of defrauding collectors
A settlement has been reached in the case against New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who was accused of defrauding collectors by trying to sell supposedly game-worn merchandise that he never actually used.
Details of the settlement were not made public, but a spokesperson for the defendants, which included Manning, two Giants equipment managers, the team itself and Steiner Sports — a company Manning is under contract with to provide game-used merchandise — said the lawsuit had been resolved, according to ESPN.
The settlement came just days before the case was set to go to trial.
“(Plaintiffs) Eric Inselberg, Michael Jakab and Sean Godown have resolved all claims in their pending litigation against the New York Giants, Eli Manning, John Mara, William Heller, Joseph Skiba, Edward Skiba and Steiner Sports, in accordance with a confidential settlement agreement reached today,” read a joint statement issued by all the parties involved. “The compromise agreement, entered into by all parties, should not be viewed as supporting any allegations, claims or defenses.”
“All parties are grateful to have the matter, which began in 2014, concluded and are now focused on football, the fans and the future,” the statement added.
The lawsuit arose when Inselberg, Jakab and Godown said they had been defrauded after discovering that two of Manning’s supposedly game-worn helmets they had previously bought were counterfeit.
The plaintiffs claimed to have lost $20,000, but they were seeking three times that amount in damages. In court filings, they said they would reveal evidence to “show that Manning engaged in a pattern of knowingly providing items to Steiner Sports that he misrepresented as having been game-used when he knew they were not.”
Manning, for his part, as well as the Giants, have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
However, Inselberg said photographic experts were unable to find evidence that the helmets were used in games. To back up that claim, he cited a technique called “photomatching,” ESPN reported.
Though the Giants might not have been actively involved in selling the merchandise, it’s possible they could have been found liable, since they had reportedly been warned about the allegations in 2011 but done nothing.
As the New York Daily News pointed out, the timing of the settlement is significant, as it means that Manning will not have to take the stand to defend himself.
Specifically, he likely would have faced questions about a 2010 email he sent to Skiba, the equipment manager who was named as a defendant in the suit.
In that email, which was revealed in April 2017, Manning asked for “2 helmets that can pass as game used. That is it. Eli.”
Manning’s lawyer, though, responded that the quarterback was actually referring to game-used helmets.
“Manning never instructed Joe Skiba to create any fraudulent memorabilia,” attorney Robert Lawrence wrote in a court filing. “Rather, Manning believed that if he asked Joe Skiba for his helmets, he received his game-used helmets and that the helmets he received from Skiba were his game-used helmets.”
Lawrence also accused Inselberg of being “engaged in a decades-long memorabilia scheme.” Without receiving permission, Inselberg acquired game-used equipment from Skiba and his brother, Lawrence said.
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