Pop Warner youth football settles lawsuit over man's suicide

Pop Warner youth football settles lawsuit over man's suicide

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:59 p.m. ET

MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Pop Warner organization has settled a lawsuit brought by a Wisconsin woman who alleged her 25-year-old son's suicide resulted from brain injuries he suffered while playing youth football.

Pop Warner spokesman Brian Heffron confirmed a settlement was reached but said Wednesday he couldn't discuss details.

Debra Pyka was seeking at least $5 million from Langhorne, Pennsylvania-based Pop Warner Little Scholars, the Pop Warner Foundation and their insurance company.

Her son, Joseph Chernach, hanged himself in Pyka's shed in Hixton, Wisconsin, in 2012. The federal lawsuit alleged Chernach suffered from a degenerative brain disease and also had post-concussion syndrome. The suit alleged he got them from playing in a Pop Warner league from 1997-2000, beginning when he was 11.

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Pyka and her attorney didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

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