District Court Upholds Arbitrator’s Decision Regarding Workers’ Compensation Choice of Forum Provisions in Chicago Bears Case

By Steven Stamps   The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has upheld the decision of an arbitrator that members of the Chicago Bears could not pursue workers’ compensation claims in California and must do so in Illinois. The Court held that the players were unable to establish any basis for concluding that the negotiated agreements between the parties must conform to California public policy.   In 2009 and 2010, three Chicago Bears football players, M