WILMINGTON, Del (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers fired 300 security staff before a fan was badly beaten at a game last year and the baseball team and its owner should face a lawsuit over the incident, the fan's attorney said on Wednesday.
Documents will be filed on Wednesday that will show that a lack of security contributed to the attack on Bryan Stow, according to Stow's attorney, Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese.
Stow was beaten nearly to death outside Dodger Stadium after the team's opening day game on March 31. He and his family have filed a lawsuit in California for negligence, but that case was put on hold the by team's bankruptcy filing in Delaware in June.
The team is now being auctioned and has attracted bids from some of the biggest names in business and sports such as billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, ex-Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre and basketball great Magic Johnson.
The Dodgers asked the bankruptcy court to dismiss the Stow case because Stow cannot show that security staffing caused his injuries.
Girardi said he has evidence that shows team owner Frank McCourt "made the decision to get rid of security" and will file those documents with Delaware's bankruptcy court by the end of the day.
The Delaware bankruptcy court will hold a hearing on March 7 to decide if the Stow case can proceed in California.
Earlier on Wednesday, Delaware bankruptcy judge Kevin Gross approved a disclosure statement which describes how the Dodgers will repay creditors and exit bankruptcy. Approval keeps the team on track to be sold and out of bankruptcy by the end of April.
(Reporting By Tom Hals; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
3 comments