The Jaguars haven't won many games on the field this year, but they did pick up a victory in the courtroom this week after a judge dismissed a lawsuit that had been filed against them by former Jags kicker Josh Lambo.
According to the Associated Press, a judge in north Florida decided to dismiss the lawsuit, but that doesn't mean the team is out of the clear just yet. The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, which means Lambo will have a 21-day window where he can amend his lawsuit and then re-file it.
In the suit, Lambo claimed that the Jags violated the state of Florida's Whistleblower Act, but the team didn't agree. The Jags asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed in July with their main argument being that Lambo was cut by the team for "his unsatisfactory performance on the football field." Lambo had gone 0-for-3 on field goals in 2021 before the Jags finally cut him in October of that year.
Lambo filed the lawsuit against the team back in May with one of the main allegations being that former coach Urban Meyer violated a state law by creating a hostile work environment. In the lawsuit, Lambo was looking to have the team pay his full $3.5 million salary for 2021, plus damages for emotional distress.
Lambo, who alleged that Meyer once kicked him before a preseason game, was cut by the Jaguars on October 19, 2021. Lambo claims that Meyer was responsible for subjecting him to "a pattern of retaliatory harassment" while also creating a "hostile work environment." The former Jaguars kicker also claims that his performance suffered because Meyer told him he would be released if he ever talked about the incident.
"[I]f you ever speak to me like that again, you'll be out of here. You're the first player I've ever let speak to me that way in my career, and if you do it again, you're gone," Meyer said the day after the alleged kicking incident, according to Lambo (via News4Jax.com).
Lambo claims that Meyer's actions had a negative impact on his ability to perform his job.
In their motion to dismiss the case, the Jaguars argued that Lambo's legal issue was with Meyer and that Lambo's complaint was "predicated solely on the alleged criminal acts of Urban Meyer, not any policy, practice or activity of club," according to legal documents obtained by The Athletic. Meyer was eventually fired by the team in December 2021 before completing his first year in Jacksonville.
Lambo's attorney, Betsy Brown, told the AP that she plans to re-file the lawsuit, but it's not clear if she'll only be going after Meyer or if she'll continue to go after both Meyer and the Jaguars.
Lambo hasn't played in the NFL since being cut by the Jaguars, but his time out of the league will end Thursday night when he kicks for the Titans in their game against the Packers.
