Ex-NFL Cornerback’s Disability Benefits to be Weighed by Judge

A federal judge will decide whether retired cornerback Charles Dimry is entitled to disability benefits from the National Football League’s retirement plan, after the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the plan mishandled Dimry’s claim.

The plan kept Dimry and his attorney “in the dark” as it reconsidered his benefits claim pursuant to an earlier court order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held. Because the plan committed procedural errors in excluding Dimry from this process, the Ninth Circuit sent the case to a district judge for a determination on Dimry’s entitlement to benefits.

Dimry, who played for ...