Brett Favre remains a defendant: Mississippi Supreme Court upholds welfare fund lawsuit decision

The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld a decision maintaining NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre as a defendant in a lawsuit. This lawsuit addresses the misuse of welfare dollars meant for the nation’s economically disadvantaged.

On Wednesday, a three-justice panel dismissed Favre’s appeal. The former quarterback’s attorneys, in their May arguments, asserted that claims made against Favre by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) were baseless.

Judge Faye Peterson of the Hinds County Circuit, on April 24, declined Favre’s request to be excluded from the lawsuit, which involves over three dozen other defendants. In response, Favre approached the state’s highest court for a reversal of this decision.

Central to the contention are funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Allegedly, Favre was connected to two significant projects: a $5 million volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played, and a $1.7 million commitment towards concussion drug research.

State lawyers highlight that Favre procured $1.1 million from TANF for undelivered speeches. He returned these funds but hasn’t reimbursed amounts directed to his drug company, Prevacus, or the University’s Athletic Department.

Favre’s defense contends that the lawsuit is an MDHS tactic to deflect its involvement in the fraud. They underscore that others, including a former MDHS director, have admitted to financial mismanagement. The defense stresses that Favre wasn’t involved in the strategy to divert funds to the volleyball facility, chiefly orchestrated by MDHS officials and Nancy New, leader of a related nonprofit.

State attorneys countered, suggesting that Favre’s lawyers provided more of a “press release” than genuine legal arguments in their effort to distance him from the lawsuit.