LA Dodgers Dodging Premises Liability?

Los Angeles, CAOver the past few years, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had Los Angeles Premises Liability lawsuits filed against them, among other allegations.

In June 2011, the Dodgers settled their September 2009 negligence and premises liability lawsuit with Stephen Suarez for an undisclosed amount. The suit alleged that the team failed to provide adequate security when drunken fan Pete La Rosa fell on Suarez and his brother.

In court papers, Saurez's attorneys referred to the March 31 beating of San Francisco Giants' fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium. They said that Stow's beating in the Stadium's parking lot was "further support for (Suarez's) position that the Dodgers acted negligently and breached their duty of care by failing to secure Dodger Stadium and remove the severely intoxicated La Rosa ..."

Stow's family filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Dodgers and several other defendants that alleges, among other things, premises liability due to poor security, poor lighting and poor response time in the parking lot of the stadium where Stow was beaten. Along with premises liability, the claims also include assault, battery, negligence, negligent hiring, assault, and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Stow's attorneys accuse Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt of financial mismanagement, which subsequently led to a decrease in security and a failure to institute the proper structural safeguards at the stadium. In response, attorneys for McCourt and the Dodgers are filing a civil action against Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, the men who are accused of attacking Stow.

Attorneys for Frank McCourt and the Los Angeles Dodgers say they will file a civil action against the two men charged in the beating of Bryan Stow as part of their strategy in defending a lawsuit by the Giants fan, who was nearly killed after the home team's Opening Day victory. According to NBC LA, Stow's lawsuit chose not to name Sanchez and Norwood as defendants.

Stow, 42 years old and a paramedic, suffered a brain injury after the attack and remains in serious condition at San Francisco General Hospital. The lawsuit estimates that $50 million will be required to cover medical expenses and damages.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times (Sept 23) reported that Major League Baseball asked a federal bankruptcy judge to order the sale of the Dodgers, arguing in court papers that Frank McCourt's plan to retain ownership of the team is "dead on arrival."