Brett Favre, despite his recent request, will not be removed from his ongoing civil lawsuit. The Hall of Famer has been involved in the welfare case since the beginning, and had requested the Mississippi judge to remove him as a defendant. However, the request was denied on Monday.
As per reports, Favre's request was deemed 'unpersuasive and inapplicable' by circuit judge Faye Peterson. Favre and others involved are being sued by the Mississippi Department of Human Services for using welfare money.
Furthermore, one of the projects the money went to was a college volleyball facility, which Favre promoted.
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That said, Favre's spokesman Alex Pfeiffer released a statement on the matter. As the former NFL icon remains disappointed in the matter, he is apparently considering his options. Pfeiffer said:
“Obviously, Brett Favre is disappointed in the court’s ruling. His legal team is exploring their options.”
The money involved, however, was reportedly from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The aforementioned volleyball facility required $5 million, and another $1.7 million for a concussion drug development. Favre's daughter played volleyball at the developed facility in Southern Miss.
With the case still ongoing, he is yet to be charged under any offense.
Brett Favre has also sued Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe for defamation
Despite the recent developments, Favre has been embroiled in the $77 million lawsuit for years. However, earlier this year, he sued Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe for defamation over the fraud case.
Favre even sued Sharpe and McAfee separately. In March, McAfee ended up moving his case from the state court to federal court. His case was originally filed in Lamar County, Mississippi.
McAfee's statement read:
"I have filed for the dismissal of Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me in a Federal Court in the fine state of Mississippi. From the very beginning I thought the lawsuit against me was a joke. A fugaze. A rib. Today makes it all feel like there has been a true glitch in the simulation."
Along with McAfee, Sharpe also moved the case to federal court. His Notice of Removal was filed in the Southern District of Mississippi and was assigned to Judge Keith Starrett.