Memorabilia fraud lawsuit against Giants, Eli settled
A memorabilia fraud lawsuit levied against the New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning has been settled, the team announced Monday.
The Giants released the following statement, as obtained by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio who was first to report the story:
"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. 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."
Manning's case was scheduled to go to trial, with jury selection expected to begin next week. The quarterback vehemently refuted the allegations against him on multiple occasions.
Lead plaintiff Eric Inselberg alleged that Manning, in conjunction with the Giants, presented helmets as "game-worn" for sale when they had never been used. Inselberg said he consulted with photographic experts, who could not find evidence that the helmets Manning sold were worn in-game.
Inselberg and his team based their case around a series of emails in which Manning consulted with equipment manager Joe Skiba.
"2 helmets that can pass as game used. That is it. Eli," Manning wrote to Skiba in April 2010, according to the documents collected in the lawsuit. Manning and the Giants' attorneys claimed the aforementioned email was taken out of context to present the quarterback in a defamatory fashion.
"Manning never instructed Joe Skiba to create any fraudulent memorabilia," Manning's attorney Robert Lawrence wrote to The Associated Press. "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."