Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers' legal situation took another turn Friday, as a jury trial date was set for January 22nd in Quincy District Court. The development comes as new details emerge about settlement negotiations between both parties.
According to Peppers' attorney Marc Brofsky, the plaintiff made a $10.5 million demand, which the Patriots safety rejected. "It technically may not be extortion but is highly probative and tells you what this case is all about," Brofsky said in court.
However, the plaintiff's attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb, quickly disputed this characterization. They claim their settlement proposal included multiple components: an apology from Peppers, contributions to domestic abuse organizations, counseling commitments, and monetary compensation for pain and suffering. "We did not present a proposal of $10.5 million to avoid a civil lawsuit," they stated.
Peppers, who's been on the NFL's commissioner exempt list since October 9th, wasn't required to attend Friday's hearing. The 29-year-old team captain was arrested October 7th in Braintree, Massachusetts, facing charges of assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine.
Brofsky claims to have video evidence contradicting the alleged victim's account. "There are no injuries consistent with any of those types of things happening; the only thing you see is that this woman has a small scrape on her knee," he told the court.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo addressed the situation back in October: "I just want to be clear -- any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us as a team... As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations and hopefully they're not true."
