Eli Manning memorabilia fraud trial rescheduled for March
Eli Manning of the Giants looks on from the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the Lions at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 18, 2017. Credit: Jim McIsaac
A trial in the civil lawsuit that accuses Giants quarterback Eli Manning of memorabilia fraud has been rescheduled to start on March 26, a New Jersey judge said Monday morning.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge James J. DeLuca said during a brief case management conference in a Hackensack court that he had canceled the previous trial date, set for Sept. 25, because of delays in the discovery process.
A case management conference is when the judge and attorneys meet to go over the remaining scheduling issues in a case. When DeLuca canceled the trial date in a June ruling, he did not give a new date.
Attorneys for all parties noted that 15 depositions still remain outstanding, including that of Giants co-owner John Mara. The judge set a Dec. 22 deadline for those to take place. Manning is among those who already have given depositions.
The brief conference at Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack occurred on the heels of a recent decision by the judge to remain on the case after being asked for the second time to step down by the plaintiffs because he is a Giants fan who owns two personal seat licenses. DeLuca said in his Oct. 13 opinion that that has no bearing on how he handles issues in this case.
The lawsuit, filed in January 2014 by sports memorabilia entrepreneur Eric Inselberg, alleges that Manning and Giants equipment manager Joe Skiba passed off regular Giants helmets and jerseys to be sold as game-used by sports memorabilia company Steiner Sports, which also is named as a defendant. Other defendants include Mara, Giants general counsel William Heller and assistant equipment manager Ed Skiba.
Jim Baumbach is an award-winning investigative reporter at Newsday, where he has worked since 1998. He spent two decades in the sports department, where he covered every professional team and league, including events such as the Super Bowl and World Series.
