An NRL player who sued the game’s insurer for $1 million after being forced to retire with a spinal injury which affects one side of his body has lost his case in the Federal Court.
Former State of Origin player and grand final winner Ethan Lowe took Lloyd’s Of London, which underwrites the policy for all NRL players, to the Federal Court after he was told he wasn’t covered for injuries stemming from a tackle in a game in 2020.
Lowe described the whiplash effect of a rival player accidentally placing pressure on his head and neck, which he argued in court has left him with life-changing injuries.
He says he struggles to tie his shoelaces, falls over uncontrollably when walking his dog and burns his hand in the kitchen without knowing because he has little sensation down the left side of his body.
The NRL’s insurer tendered evidence in court of Lowe jet skiing and dancing, also raising a question whether a previous injury sustained earlier in his career contributed to his current condition, as the parties argued over the definition of paralysis.
Lowe had a claim for paralysis under the policy rejected, and sued Lloyd’s Of London on the basis he satisfied the definition of the underwriter. The insurer disagreed in the two-day hearing last month.
Former NRL player Ethan Lowe.Credit: Oscar Colman
Justice Ian Jackman dismissed Lowe’s application when delivering his findings on Friday and ordered the former player to pay Lloyd’s Of London’s legal costs.
Lowe, 33, played 143 NRL games and was part of North Queensland’s grand final-winning side in 2015. He was at the height of his career five years ago when he made his State of Origin debut for Queensland.
