Lawsuit Seeks Better Protection for Fans From Foul Balls and Broken Bats
- 2015-07-13
- New York Times
On the eve of baseball’s All-Star Game, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed Monday against Major League Baseball accusing it of doing too little to protect fans from being seriously injured by fast-moving foul balls and splintered bats. In particular, the suit cites the need for extending protective netting from behind the backstop at ballparks to far along the first- and third-base lines.
The lead plaintiff, Gayle Payne, is an Oakland A’s fan who feels vulnerable to injury because her seats in Section 211 at O.co Coliseum are not protected by netting. A fan beside her was injured by a foul ball, her lawyer said. “She is constantly ducking and weaving to avoid getting hit by foul balls or shattered bats” and fears for her safety and that of her husband and daughter, the suit said.
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