'Mutual satisfaction'

Stringer's widow reaches settlement in wrongful death case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Korey Stringer's widow will ask an appeals court to reinstate her $100 million lawsuit against the Minnesota Vikings now that she has settled with the last defendants.

Kelci Stringer reached a deal with the Vikings' training camp physician, Dr. David Knowles, and his Mankato Clinic for an undisclosed sum, Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson said Monday.

Last month, Larson dismissed all of Kelci Stringer's claims against the Vikings and team officials over her husband's heatstroke death in 2001. But the judge allowed her $100 million wrongful-death lawsuit to go forward against Knowles, who was not an employee of the team.

Kelci Stringer's attorney, Paul DeMarco, said he expected to ask the Minnesota Court of Appeals in the next few weeks to reinstate the lawsuit against the team.

James Gould, Korey Stringer's agent, said the family believes it must press the case against the Vikings.

"We were able to find an appropriate settlement" with Knowles and the clinic, Gould said. "The family, however, takes no delight in anything that's going on here. They continue to struggle with the loss of Korey and the fact that the Vikings have still not done anything in regard to the family."

Vikings attorney James O'Neal refused to speculate on the outcome of the appeal, but said the team was comfortable with its legal position in light of Larson's ruling last month.

Kelci Stringer contended her husband did not receive proper medical care when he collapsed during training camp in Mankato on July 31, 2001. The 335-pound Pro Bowl lineman died of heatstroke early the next morning.

Larson ruled the evidence was insufficient to determine that the conduct of any of the Vikings defendants or the two regular team physicians constituted gross negligence -- the legal standard the plaintiffs needed to meet to proceed to trial.

The case against Knowles and the Mankato Clinic had been scheduled to go to trial June 9. The claims against them had included gross negligence and medical malpractice.

Knowles and the clinic declined to comment on the settlement, clinic spokeswoman Maureen Gustafson said.

 

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