A former USC linebacker is suing the university, alleging school officials guided him in purchasing a disability insurance policy that turned out to provide inadequate coverage after he was hurt.
Morgan Breslin filed the complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging breach of contract, fraud and both intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic relations. The suit filed Friday seeks unspecified damages.
A USC representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
[symple_divider style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”20″]
READ MORE: Judge: security guard can pursue suit for injuries from USC Football fan stampede
[symple_divider style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”20″]
Now 24, Breslin was designated an exceptional student athlete for the 2013-14 season as part of an NCAA program that encourages athletes to stay in school and complete their degree program while being offered the chance to buy disability insurance, the suit states.
An insurance broker known to USC for offering quotes for athletic insurance policies proposed to the university staff in January 2013 that Breslin obtain a policy through AmTrust at Lloyd’s, according to his court papers.
According to the suit, Breslin was injured while playing for USC on Sept. 28, 2013, and as a result could not play professional football.
“Contrary to the representations of USC and its underwriters, the issuer of the disability policy Breslin purchased … is now taking the position that the policy is void,” the suit states.
The suit alleges that USC employees falsely led Breslin to believe that the AmTrust policy would protect him in the event he had a career-ending injury while playing for the Trojans. The university staff went so far as to advise him how to fill out the forms to obtain the policy, according to the complaint.
“USC controls all communications between insurers offering athletic insurance policies and the student athlete who will buy the policy,” the suit states. “This is done through USC’s Compliance Department and the training and medical staff.”
USC did not tell the underwriters about Breslin’s injury and did not inform the plaintiff they had not done so, the suit states.
“USC has the responsibility to explain the risks and benefits of athletic insurance policies to the student athlete,” the suit states.
Breslin made a claim under the AmTrust policy in May 2014, but AmTrust denied it seven months later and filed a lawsuit in New Jersey asking that it be declared void, the suit alleges.
Breslin was briefly a member of the San Francisco 49ers after signing as a free agent in May 2014.
— City News Service