The family of ex-Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the National Hockey League, according to the New York Times.
In the lawsuit, the family argues that the NHL is responsible for the brain damage Boogaard suffered during his career, and his addiction to pain medication.
William Gibbs, a lawyer for the Boogaards summed up the suit in one sentence: “You take a young man, you subject him to trauma, you give him pills for that trauma, he becomes addicted to those pills, you promise to treat him for that addiction, and you fail.”
Boogaard died of an accidental overdose of prescription painkillers and alcohol on May 13, 2011. He was a member of the New York Rangers at the time. He played five seasons with the Wild, 2005-2010.
Boogaard’s family recently lost a lawsuit against the NHL Players Association, in which they were seeking $9.8 million.
