Moore wins the first battle against Bertuzzi

You may recall that not too long ago, Todd Bertuzzi, Orca Bay Hockey Ltd. (the company that owns the Vancouver Canucks) and Marc Crawford settled out of court their third-party lawsuits that came as a result of the $38 million civil suit Steve Moore filed against Bertuzzi for the sucker punch that ended Moore's career in 2004.

This all started when Bertuzzi sued Crawford in reaction to Moore's law suit, claiming that his coach had essentially ordered him to attack Moore. When that claim was filed, Orca Bay then sued Bertuzzi, insisting that he acted on his own. After what was called "closed door negotiations", Bertuzzi, Crawford and Orca Bay reached an agreement.

Tim Danson, Moore's attorney, filed a motion with the courts to have the details of that settlement released. Today, Ontario Superior Court Master Ronald Dash ruled those details be made public.

It's a small victory for Moore, but it's one that could have an enormous effect on the outcome of his lawsuit. After nearly 8 years, Steve Moore will finally get his day in court. Proceedings are scheduled to start on September 22, 2012.

(Thanks to the Denver Post for the lead on this story.)

For more information on the case, you can view the court documents courtesy of the Canadian Legal Information Institute. Thanks, Sandie!!