Legal News

NFL Wins Exemption From Suits in Event of Terrorist Attack

By Ashby Jones

In the event that terrorists attacked a football stadium packed with fans some fall Sunday, the National Football League would be immune from suit.

The Department of Homeland Security recently bestowed upon the NFL and other organizations full exemption under a law called the SAFETY Act (Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies). The law, passed in 2002, was enacted in response to the lawsuits filed after 9/11. At the time, companies were afraid they would be sued if their security measures failed to stop a terrorist attack. Click here for the story, from the USA Today.

The protection extends only to companies’ services or equipment that the Homeland Security Department has approved as being effective in anti-terrorism. The law requires a court to dismiss lawsuits against companies whose products have Homeland Security’s highest reliability rating.

The NFL got the protection after the government approved the league’s nine-page stadium-security guidelines.

The benefit to the NFL is “fairly obvious,” said NFL security chief Milt Ahlerich. “An attack from a terrorist organization could put us out of business.” Among other companies receiving the highest reliability rating are aviation giant Boeing, which got the exemption for its strengthened flight deck doors on planes, and IBM, granted an exemption for its software used to more accurately verify names and identities.

Law Blog Movie Question of the Day: This talk of terrorism at a football game reminded us of a movie from our childhood, “Black Sunday,” the plot of which is described thusly on IMDB: “An Isreali anti-terrorist agent must stop a disgruntled Vietnam vet cooperating in a plot to commit a terrorist plot at the Super Bowl.” What we remember is the terrifying poster for the movie, featuring an ominous blimp hovering dangerously close to the top of a stadium.

Our question is this: anyone seen this movie? We were intrigued by a comment on IMDB, which reads:
“I recently bought the DVD for the film and it still “holds up” today as well as ever. There isn’t a suspense film today that can hold a candle to it . . . ” Really? Anyone care to agree? Disagree?

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on March 10, 2009 (boomark / email).