YouTube Frank D'Amico, Jr.
Frank J. D’Amico Jr. is the New Orleans lawyer filing the highly publicized New Orleans Saints lawsuit against the NFL based on a missed pass interference call that might have cost the Saints their chance at the Super Bowl. Here’s what you need to know about D’Amico.
1. D’Amico’s Lawsuit Says the Fans Suffered Mental Anguish & Emotional Trauma
Here is the full D’Amico statement: See full story @wdsu in last tweet. @stephgosk @NBCNews @AP @NFL
Frank J. D’Amico, Jr. filed the suit in the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish on behalf of named Saints season-ticket holders Tommy Badeaux and Candis Lambert, New Orleans Saints’ national fan base (The Who Dat Nation), all season ticket holders for the Saints, and any party with interest in the case. Badeau is a lawyer in D’Amico’s office and Lambert is a local nurse, Action Network noted. The New Orleans attorney filed the civil suit based on Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 in the NFL Rulebook. The rule shows that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could have the power to reverse the outcome of an NFC title game and replay that part of the contested game.
He’d ideally like the last 1:49 of the game to be replayed, when the game was tied at 20. 247 Sports points out that the rule is in place for extreme circumstances like a fan running onto a field, not a missed call.
The lawsuit is based on a missed pass interference call during a third-down play. If pass interference had been called, it could have changed the outcome of the game. Rams’ Nickell Robey-Coleman “rammed” into Tommylee Lewis long before the ball arrived, and flags were mysteriously absent in a scene that most football fans could have called themselves. Without pass interference being called, the Saints had a field goal instead of a possible touchdown.
No pass interference call
The Rams ultimately won in overtime 26-23. Fans believe that the proper call could have changed the entire outcome of the game and sent the Saints to the Super Bowl instead. Even the NFL has admitted they made the wrong call, 247 Sports noted. The NFL admitted to Coach Sean Payton after the game that the officials were wrong.
Sean Payton already called the league office #Saints
According to Darren Rovell of the Action Network, the lawsuit alleges mental anguish and emotional trauma, loss of faith in the NFL, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of entertainment, and distrust of the game.
Damages in Saints ticket holder lawsuit against the Roger Goodell & the NFL include:
Mental anguish & emotional trauma
Loss of faith in the NFL
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of entertainment
Distrust of the game
You can read the full lawsuit here.
2. A Hearing Is Scheduled for Monday
The lawsuit isn’t seeking a dollar figure in damages, but asks for a hearing before the Super Bowl is played, The Advocate noted. The lawsuit reads, in part: “As a direct result of the said incident, plaintiffs herein have been left bereft and with no faith in the National Football league for fairness despite the league’s own rules to correct such errors, along with emotional anguish, monetary loss for ticket holders, who purchases tickets with the presumption of integrity and fairness.”
A hearing is set for Monday at 10 a.m.
Breaking: Frank D’Amico says a hearing is scheduled for Monday @ 10AM before Hon. Piper Griffin at Orleans Parish Civil Court over on his lawsuit against the @nfl on #SaintsGotRobbed – Says he wants Roger Goodell served today. More @wdsu | @NBCNews @darrenrovell @BR_NFL @AP
As D’Amico Jr.’s law office stated on Facebook,: “The petition filed by our office was not a petition for damages, but rather a petition for a Writ of Mandamus which seeks equitable relief and NOT monetary damages. A writ of Mandamus action is filed to compel a corporation (in this case the NFL) to follow its own laws, rules, or guidelines. Our office is not seeking any kind of financial damages from this filing, rather this lawsuit is about holding the league and Roger Goodell accountable for the blatant (mis)actions of its employees and maintaining the integrity of the NFL…”
D’Amico said his courier was serving the NFL and Goodell with the suit. However, he told Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post earlier on January 22 that they couldn’t find Goodell and he thought Goodell was “ducking” the subpoena.
3. D’Amico, Whose Firm Focuses on Personal Injury Cases, Is Called ‘The Strong Arm of the Law’
D’Amico runs a personal injury firm and his website refers to him as “The Strong Arm of the Law.” This phrasing was recently the source of a legal battle of its own among two lawyers in a different part of the country. The case did not include D’Amico.
In March 2018, CBS Denver reported that John Foy, based in Atlanta, was suing Frank Azar in Denver federal court for also using the phrase “the strong arm.” Foy claimed that his rights to “The Strong Arm” had been registered with the Secretary of State in Georgia in 2012, while Azar said he registered “The Strong Arm” nationally in 2012. Azar sent Foy a cease and desist letter, and so Foy moved the battle to court. D’Amico’s use of “the strong arm” was not part of that case, but he is one of many attorneys who use the phrase in their commercials, CBS Denver noted.
D’Amico’s firm focuses on personal injury and mass tort, representing everything from maritime injuries to 18-wheeler accidents to prescription drug errors and medical malpractice. The firm operates on a contingency basis, where clients don’t owe any fees if they aren’t successful in their case.
4. He’s Been Practicing Law Since 1986
D’Amico has been practicing law in Louisiana since 1986. He received his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. His LinkedIn describes him this way: “Frank J. D’Amico, Jr. has received multi-million dollar settlements in various areas of law, including personal injury, drug and product liability, and complex litigation including hospitals and physicians.”
D’Amico has also been the director of Orpheum Property Inc., a public company engaged in the development and renovation of commercial property, since 2015. His 2015 bio noted that his law firm had a staff of 15 at the time, including three attorneys, two investigators, and a team of paralegals and support staff. He often works with lawyers across the United States on cases.
5. D’Amico Has Been in the News for Representing a Shrimp Boat Captain Injured after the BP Oil Spill & a Fraternity Pledge Burned in a Traumatizing Hazing Incident
In 2014, D’Amico represented a shrimp boat captain who was injured in the BP Gulf oil spill cleanup, USA Today noted.
In 2008, he represented one of the Tulane University fraternity pledges who was hurt after being burned with hot water and pepper spray during a pledge initiation, the Associated Press reported. The fraternity members who performed the hazing faced felony charges. D’Amico’s client suffered second- and third-degree burns and needed twice-daily burn treatments and was “extremely traumatized” from the event, CNN reported. The fraternity was suspended.