Dodgers Fan Beating: Team Found Negligent, Will Pay Partial Damages; Bryan Stow Awarded $18M in Total
A San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten outside Dodger Stadium won his lawsuit Wednesday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers partially responsible for paying the damages. The jury found the Dodgers negligent in the case, but absolved former owner Frank McCourt of personal liability.
Bryan Stow, 45, the man who suffered permanent brain injury as the result of a beating on the opening game day in March 2011, was awarded $18 million in damages. The Dodgers are responsible for paying a quarter of that amount, the remainder from the two men who attacked Stow.
An attorney for Stow and his family, Tom Girardi, filed the lawsuit initially asking for more than $50 million to cover Stow's lifetime medical care, lost earnings as well as pain and suffering.
Stow's lawyers claimed in court that the team and its former owner failed to provide proper security at the stadium. Dodgers' defense said that security measures on opening day were stronger than ever and Stow, who was drunk and antagonizing Dodgers fans, was partially to blame. Due to his belligerence leading up to the beating, the verdict awarded him substantially less compensation than he requested.
"You would always say it would be nice if there were some more [money], but the fact of the matter is we're very pleased," Girardi said. "This money is going to really help this family."
Dodger fans Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood pleaded guilty to attacking Stow in the stadium parking lot. They are currently in prison; their ability to pay the millions in reparations is unknown.
During the month-long trial, witnesses' testimony said there were no visible security guards in the lot where Stow was attacked. Dodgers' lawyer Dana Fox argued that sole responsibility for the beating lied on Sanchez and Norwood, not the team.
"There were three parties responsible -- Sanchez, Norwood and, unfortunately, Stow himself," Fox said. "There were things Mr. Stow did that put these things in action."
Girardi argued that "the only thing Bryan Stow was doing was wearing a jersey that said 'Giants.'"
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