Favre must remain in welfare lawsuit, Mississippi argues

Mar 17, 2023, 1:09 PM
FILE - Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre speaks to the media in Jackson, Miss., Oct. 17, 2018. A M...
FILE - Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre speaks to the media in Jackson, Miss., Oct. 17, 2018. A Mississippi agency says a judge should reject Favre’s requests to be removed from a lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars in misspent welfare money. Favre’s attorneys have sought to get the Hall of Fame quarterback dismissed as one of more than 30 defendants in the civil suit that the state Department of Human Services filed in 2022. Kaytie Pickett, an attorney for the department, says in court papers filed Monday, March 13, 2023, that Favre failed to make solid legal arguments and a judge should ignore his “diatribe.” (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A judge should ignore a request from retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre to be removed from a misspent welfare money in Mississippi’s largest-ever public corruption case, the state Department of Human Services said this week.

Millions of federal welfare dollars were intended to help low-income Mississippi residents — some of the poorest people in the country — but were instead squandered on projects supported by wealthy or well-connected people, including projects backed by Favre, prosecutors say.

No criminal charges have been brought against the NFL Hall of Famer, although other people have pleaded guilty to their part in the misspending.

Favre’s attorneys argue the Department of Human Services is suing Favre, “a Mississippi and national celebrity,” to deflect from the department’s own role in allowing fraud, and have have filed two sets of papers urging a Mississippi judge to dismiss Favre from the suit.

Kaytie Pickett, an attorney for the department, responded that Favre’s attorneys failed to provide solid legal arguments to get their client out of the lawsuit.

“Favre’s submission is not a motion to dismiss; it is a long press release,” Pickett wrote in court papers filed Monday. “The court should disregard Favre’s diatribe.”

The Department of Human Services last year sued Favre and more than three dozen other people or businesses.

The suit says money was misspent on things like $5 million to help build a volleyball arena that Favre supported at his alma mater the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played the sport, and $1.7 million toward development of a concussion treatment drug by a company in which Favre was an investor.

Those who have pleaded guilty to criminal charges include John Davis, a director of a nonprofit organization who had ties to Favre and the volleyball and concussion drug projects.

Favre has repaid $1.1 million he received for speaking fees from New’s organization, which spent Temporary Assistance to Needy Families money with approval from the Department of Human Services under Davis. Mississippi Auditor Shad White said Favre, who lives in Mississippi, never showed up to give those speeches.

Favre said in October that he did nothing wrong and had been “ unjustly smeared ” in news coverage of the welfare misspending.

Favre first again asking a judge to dismiss Favre from the case.

His latest attempt to get out of the lawsuit came a day after he filed three defamation lawsuits against the auditor White and two former NFL players, Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe, who have sharply criticized Favre in their roles as national sportscasters. White, McAfee and Sharpe had not filed court papers to respond by Friday, records show.

United States News

FILE - A general view of the stage is pictured at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, ...
Associated Press

Rock, country, blues merge at 2023 CMT Music Awards in Texas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — This year’s Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The annual fan-voted awards show in Austin, Texas, on Sunday also will honor country superstar and five-time Grammy winner Shania Twain with the Equal Play Award, recognizing her for being a “visible and vocal advocate” for diverse voices in country music. Hosted by […]
23 hours ago
Los Angeles police investigate the scene of a fatal shooting in a shopping mall parking lot in Los ...
Associated Press

LA police: 1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at shopping center

LOS ANGELES (AP) — One person is dead and three others were injured in a shooting during a drug deal outside a Los Angeles shopping center Saturday, police said. Multiple suspects shot at each other during what police believe was a dispute during a narcotics deal in a parking lot in the area of Vanowen […]
23 hours ago
Connecticut guard Tristen Newton celebrates after scoring against Miami during the first half of a ...
Associated Press

UConn puts Final Four beatdown on Miami 72-59

HOUSTON (AP) — UConn doled out another drama-free basketball beatdown Saturday, getting 21 points and 10 rebounds from Adama Sanogo to dispatch Miami 72-59 and move one win from the school’s fifth national title. Jordan Hawkins overcame his stomach bug and scored 13 for the Huskies, who came into this most unexpected Final Four as […]
23 hours ago
Workers prepare the site of a $4 billion Panasonic EV battery plant Thursday, March 30, 2023, near ...
Associated Press

‘War of the states’: EV, chip makers lavished with subsidies

States are doling out more cash than ever to lure multibillion-dollar microchip, electric vehicle and battery factories, inspiring ever-more competition as they dig deeper into their pockets to attract big employers and capitalize on a wave of huge new projects.
23 hours ago
San Diego State guard Lamont Butler drives up court against Florida Atlantic during the first half ...
Associated Press

Butler’s buzzer-beater sends San Diego State to title game

HOUSTON (AP) — San Diego State’s vaunted defense staggered well into the second half as free-flowing Florida Atlantic breezed to a 14-point lead. The Aztecs found their teeth again to get back into the game. Then Lamont Butler delivered at the very end. Butler hit a buzzer-beating jumper for the ages, sending San Diego State […]
23 hours ago
FILE - A woman walks near an uprooted tree, a flipped vehicle and debris from homes damaged by a to...
Associated Press

Tornadoes kill at least 11 across US Midwest and South

Tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest killed at least 11 people, collapsed the roof of a packed theater during a heavy metal concert in Illinois, and left small towns and big cities throughout the region bewildered Saturday by the damage.
23 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Celebrate 50 years of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade magic!

Since its first production in the early 1970s, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe has been a staple of Valley traditions, bringing family fun and excitement to downtown Phoenix.
Favre must remain in welfare lawsuit, Mississippi argues