Ex-UC football players added as defendants in lawsuit against university

The University of the Cumberlands doesn’t want to be the only defendant in a lawsuit filed against it last year by a former U of C football player, who was allegedly assaulted in 2015 by another football player and an ex-football player, who had been kicked out of school.

William Hoback, an attorney for the university, filed a third party complaint on March 14 to add the two men allegedly responsible for the assault as defendants in the lawsuit, which a federal judge has allowed.

The third party complaint is a common legal filing and is largely an effort to spread any blame that a jury might find if the case goes to trial. It is also an effort to lessen the amount of any damages the university could be responsible for, if a jury rules against it a trial.