Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/flying-baseballs-injured-fans-uncertain-liability-why-legislative-action-is-needed-in-the-sunshine-state/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 06:21:36+00:00

Document:
Curiously, although Florida is a baseball hotbed,11 our state courts have never said whether the baseball rule, in any form, is available as a defense. Given this reticence, the time has come for legislative action.
No reported court decision in Florida squarely addresses the baseball rule. Nevertheless, there are cases in which a spectator has been injured, either directly or indirectly, by a baseball, or a bat, and has sued.
In Woodford v. City of St. Petersburg, 84 So. 2d 25 (Fla. 1955) (Div. A), for example, a homeowner named Nelson F. Woodford was injured when a baseball from Huggins Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees,24 landed in his backyard. In their effort to retrieve the ball, a group of boys knocked Woodford over and fractured his lower back.
In Buck v. McLean, 115 So. 2d 764 (Fla. 1st DCA 1959), Terryss Buck was struck in the eye by a baseball while attending a high school game at Apalachicola Memorial Stadium. Together with her husband, Lamb, Terryss sued the Franklin County school board, asserting that a wire screen meant to protect spectators had a hole in it.
In Chambers v. Cline, 161 So. 2d 224 (Fla. 2d DCA 1964), a teenager named Peggy Jean Cline went with a friend (E.W. Ellis, Jr.) to a commercial batting cage in Tampa called “Bat-A-Ball.” After Cline had swung at 17 balls, Ellis asked to take the last pitch. Cline agreed, and was seriously injured when Ellis accidentally hit her in the face with his bat.
Cline sued Marcellus Chambers, Bat-A-Ball’s owner, for $125,000. In her complaint, she claimed that Chambers should have posted signs warning patrons that it was dangerous for two people to be in the cage at the same time. Cline also believed that Chambers had been negligent in not carefully supervising the cage and in not stopping Ellis from entering it while she was still inside.
In City of Milton v. Broxson, 514 So. 2d 1116 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987), rev. dismissed, 537 So. 2d 568 (Fla. 1988), Charles A. Broxson was attending a softball game in Sanders Park when he decided to leave the bleachers and walk over to an area behind the third-base dugout. On his way back to his seat, he was seriously injured when he was hit in the head by a softball thrown by a player who was warming up for the next game.
In City of Coral Springs v. Rippe, 743 So. 2d 61 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999), rev. dismissed, 751 So. 2d 1250 (Fla. 2000), Helene and Herbert Rippe were watching their son play in a Little League baseball game at Mullins Park. To get a better view, Helene moved from the bleachers to a spot in front of the players’ bench. While there, she was hit by a foul ball and knocked unconscious.
Given the foregoing lack of judicial clarity, the time has come for the Florida Legislature to decide whether the baseball rule applies in Florida. If the answer is “no,” a simple law saying so will do the trick.48 If the answer is “yes,” however, a more detailed one will be needed. In drafting it, our lawmakers should pay close attention to the four states that already have such a statute.
As explained above, Colorado and New Jersey limit their laws to professional baseball games. In contrast, Arizona and Illinois apply their laws to all baseball games. And while Illinois and New Jersey’s laws are restricted to injuries caused by baseballs or bats, Arizona’s law includes any equipment used by players.49 Colorado’s law is even broader — it immunizes defendants from any risk that naturally arises from watching a baseball game.
Although a day at the ballpark normally results in nothing more serious than a sunburn, on occasion fans do get hurt. When such an injury occurs in Florida, the issue of liability must be litigated because Florida courts have never defined the duties that exist in such situations.
Given the foregoing, the Florida Legislature should consider adopting a comprehensive liability regime. To be successful, such legislation will have to do three things: 1) encourage prudent behavior by players, teams, stadiums, and fans; 2) provide redress to injured spectators that is appropriate under the circumstances; and, 3) ensure that the cost of liability insurance remains reasonable for professional, amateur, and public entities.
1 See Marc Topkin, Rays Extend Trop Nets for Safety, Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 1, 2018, at 1 (Sports). The Rays made their announcement at the same time as the Arizona Diamondbacks, the last two teams to do so. See Maury Brown, With D-Backs and Rays Announcements, MLB is Set for League-Wide Expanded Netting in 2018, Forbes, Jan. 31, 2018, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2018/01/31/with-dbacks-and-rays-announcing-mlb-will-have-league-wide-expanded-netting-for-2018/.
2 See Maury Brown, Expanded Safety Netting in MLB Gets Its Full Test on Opening Day, Forbes, Mar. 30, 2018, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2018/03/30/expanded-safety-netting-in-mlb-gets-its-full-test-on-opening-day/. In describing the new netting at Tropicana Field, the Ray’s official blog informed readers: “The Rays have extended the netting to the ends of both dugouts to improve the safety of fans attending games…the green, knotless net provides enhanced visibility for fans seated behind it, replacing the traditional black, knotted nets that previously extended to the home plate end of each dugout[.]” Here’s What’s Happening on Opening Day 2018, The Ray Tank Blog (Mar. 23, 2018), https://raytank.mlblogs.com/heres-what-s-happening-on-opening-day-2018-4e12bb8ad4dd.
3 MLB became concerned after two Winthrop University researchers discovered that between 1862 and 2007, more than 75 fans had died from flying baseballs. See Dave Anderson, When Foul Balls Become Lethal Projectiles, Fans are Mostly Unprotected, N.Y. Times, Apr. 20, 2008, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/sports/20iht-BASE.1.12164014.html (discussing Robert M. Gorman & David Weeks, Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862-2007 (2008)).
4 See David Glovin, Baseball Caught Looking as Fouls Injure 1,750 Fans a Year, Bloomberg News, Sept. 9, 2014, available at www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-09/baseball-caught-looking-as-fouls-injure-1-750-fans-a-year.html.
5 See Wallace Mathews, Line Drive Strikes Young Girl in the Face at Yankee Stadium, N.Y. Times, Sept. 21, 2017, at B10. See also William Weinbaum, How One Fan’s Story Contributed to a Conversation About MLB’s Safety Netting, ESPN (Mar. 31, 2018), http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22955279/how-baseball-reached-tipping-point-fan-protection.
6 In May 2018, Cloey Heckendorn, a fan at a minor league baseball game in California, was hit in the head by a bat and had to be taken to the hospital. Had the stadium had MLB-style netting, the accident would have been avoided. See Shane Newell, Fan Hit by Flying Bat at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Game Raises Baseball Safety Question, Riverside Press-Enterp. (Cal.), May 26, 2018, available at https://www.pe.com/2018/05/26/fan-hit-by-flying-bat-at-rancho-cucamonga-quakes-game-raises-baseball-safety-question/.
In 2017, 49 million people went to minor league games. See David P. Kronheim, Minor League Baseball 2017 Attendance Analysis 14 (2018), available at http://numbertamer.com/files/2017MinorLeagueAnalysis.pdf. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), more than 8 million people went to college baseball games. See NCAA, Baseball Attendance Records—2017 Attendance Records (2018), available at http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2018/attend.pdf. Although attendance figures for high school and youth games are not kept on a systematic basis, the 2017 Little League World Series tournament alone drew nearly 300,000 spectators. See John Beale, The Wonder of Williamsport, ESPN (Aug. 28, 2017), http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/20477258/how-williamsport-becomes-center-baseball-universe.
7 See, e.g., Jay M. Zitter, Annotation, Liability to Spectator at Baseball Game Who is Hit by Ball or Injured as Result of Other Hazards of Game—Failure to Provide or Maintain Sufficient Screening, 82 A.L.R.6th 417 (2013 & 2018 Supp.); James L. Rigelhaupt, Jr., Annotation, Liability to Spectator at Baseball Game Who is Hit by Ball or Injured as Result of Other Hazards of Game, 91 A.L.R.3d 24 (1979 & 2018 Supp.).
8 See, e.g., Sciarrotta v. Global Spectrum, 944 A.2d 630 (N.J. 2008); Morris v. Cleveland Hockey Club, 105 N.E.2d 419 (Ohio 1952); Moulas v. PBC Prods. Inc., 570 N.W.2d 739 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998); Stern v. Madison Square Garden, 641 N.Y.S.2d 41 (App. Div. 1996); Lukacko v. Connecticut Islanders, 2015 WL 1588417 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2015); Pestalozzi v. Philadelphia Flyers, 576 A.2d 72 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1990). See also Christopher T. Yamaguchi, The Price of Admission: Liability in Professional Baseball and Hockey for Spectator Injuries Sustained During the Course of the Game (2013), available at http://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1400&context=student_scholarship.
11 See Louis H. Schiff & Robert M. Jarvis, A Survey of Florida Baseball Cases, 40 Nova L. Rev. 49, 50 (2015) (explaining that “the state is home to two…MLB …teams,  minor league teams,  spring training sites, both of the schools that train future big league umpires, and numerous amateur and youth teams.”).
12 Crane, 153 S.W. at 1076-77.
13 Id. at 1077-78. See also A “Fan” Loses Damage Suit, K.C. Star, Feb. 17, 1913, at 1. Crane spent 50 cents for a seat in the grandstand, which had both screened and unscreened seating. After entering the stadium, he decided to sit in one of the unscreened seats to be able to see the game better. Crane, 153 S.W. at 1078. For a further look at the case, see J. Gordon Hylton, A Foul Ball in the Courtroom: The Baseball Spectator Injury as a Case of First Impression, 38 Tulsa L. Rev. 485 (2003).
14 See Wallace Matthews, Netting Improved Fan Safety, but in Court, It’s Teams that are Protected, N.Y. Times, Mar. 29, 2018, at B15.
15 Most fans, however, prefer unscreened seats because they provide a better view and offer the possibility of catching a ball. See Benjamin v. Detroit Tigers, Inc., 635 N.W. 219, 222 (Mich. Ct. App. 2001), appeal denied, 645 N.W.2d 664 (Mich. 2002) (“[T]here is inherent value in having most seats unprotected by a screen because baseball patrons generally want to be involved with the game in an intimate way and are even hoping that they will come in contact with some projectile from the field[.]”).
16 Martinez, 414 S.W.3d at 229.
17 Coomer, 437 S.W.3d at 188. In an almost-identical incident in June 2018, a fan named Kathy McVay was hit in the eye by a hot dog at a Philadelphia Phillies game. See David Moye, Phillie Phanatic Shoots Baseball Fan in the Eye with Hot Dog, HuffPost, June 21, 2018, available at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kathy-mcvay-hot-dog-cannon-phillies-phanatic_us_5b2c1e25e4b00295f15ac439.
18 For another such case, see Lowe v. California League of Prof’l Baseball, 65 Cal. Rptr. 2d 105 (Ct. App. 1997) (fan hit by a foul ball when his attention was diverted by minor league team’s mascot allowed to sue).
19 Rountree, 296 P.3d at 378. One year later, the Indiana Supreme Court, relying on Rountree, came to the same conclusion. See South Shore Baseball, LLC v. DeJesus, 11 N.E.3d 903 (Ind. 2014).
20 This statute was passed two months after the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks began play. See 1998 Ariz. Legis. Serv. Ch. 152 (S.B. 1399) (West).
21 This statute was passed two months after the expansion Colorado Rockies began play. See 1993 Colo. Legis. Serv. S.B. 93-231 (West).
22 This statute was passed three months after Yates v. Chicago Nat’l League Ball Club, Inc., 595 N.E.2d 570 (Ill. App. Ct. 1992), which upheld an injured fan’s suit for inadequate netting. The statute was declared constitutional in Jasper v. Chicago Nat’l League Ball Club, Inc., 722 N.E.2d 731 (Ill. App. Ct. 1999).
23 This statute was passed four months after Maisonave v. Newark Bears Prof’l Baseball Club, Inc., 881 A.2d 700 (N.J. 2005), which limited the baseball rule to injuries occurring in the stands. See N.J. Stat. Ann. 2A:53A-43 (2017) (under “Senate Judiciary Committee Statement”).
24 The Yankees trained in St. Petersburg for nearly 40 years (1925-42, 1946-50, and 1952-61). See Josh Pahigian, Spring Training Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grapefruit and Cactus League Ballparks 11 (2d ed. 2013). Since 1996, they have held camp in Tampa. Id. at 10-11.
25 Woodford, 84 So. 2d at 26.
27 The court lifted the ban on such suits two years later. See Hargrove v. Town of Cocoa Beach, 96 So. 2d 130 (Fla. 1957).
28 Woodford, 84 So. 2d at 26-27 (citing Salevan v. Wilmington Park, Inc., 72 A.2d 239 (Del. Super. Ct. 1950), and Annotation, Liability of Owner or Operator of Park or Other Premises on Which Baseball or Other Game is Played, for Injuries by Ball to Person on Nearby Street, Sidewalk, or Premises, 16 A.L.R.2d 1458 (1951)).
29 Woodford, 84 So. 2d at 27. See also St. Pete Man Wins Right to Sue, Tampa Trib., Dec. 16, 1955, at 32A. Because no further mention of the lawsuit appears in either case reporters or newspapers, it is assumed the parties settled on remand.
30 Buck, 115 So. 2d at 768.
31 See Woman Hit with Ball Bat Wins $4,385 Judgment, Tampa Trib., Dec. 6, 1962, at 8D. The case’s facts are taken largely from this article.
32 Chambers, 161 So. 2d at 225.
33 The Braves played at Municipal Stadium from 1963 to 1997. In 1998, they moved to Cracker Jack Stadium in Lake Buena Vista. See Pahigian, Spring Training Handbook at 118.
34 Jackson, 227 So. 2d at 63.
35 See Baseball Fan Sues for Eye, Palm Beach Post, June 30, 1966, at A8.
36 Id. (“Jackson…was hit in the right eye by a foul ball hit by the Dodgers’ Wes Parker. Jackson…claims the teams, and the city of West Palm Beach, should have known that hazards existed in the area where he sat. He claims there was no adequate protection afforded by a wire screen located behind home plate. As a result of this, he was exposed to possible danger from a batted ball.”).
37 Jackson, 227 So. 2d at 63-64.
38 See News of Record — Final Civil Judgments, Palm Beach Post-Times, Mar. 21, 1970, at B9 (“66-L-760F – C. Paul Jackson vs. Atlanta Braves Inc. and City of West Palm Beach. Judgement for defendants.”).
39 See Kathy Beasley, Milton Questions Liability of Parks, Pensacola News J., Nov. 14, 1985, at 5B (“A jury awarded Charles Anthony Broxson $500,000 in September after finding the city 70 percent negligent and Broxson 30 percent negligent. Broxson sued the city in 1983 for injuries he received when hit in the head by a softball at Sanders Park in June 1980. He was left 30 percent disabled.”).
40 Broxson, 514 So. 2d at 1118.
43 Rippe, 743 So. 2d at 62.
44 Id. at 64-65. Following the court’s ruling, the city paid the Rippes the $100,000 statutory maximum. When the couple sought to collect the rest through a private relief bill, a special master recommended an additional $15,000. See Upping the Ante When Government is to Blame, Palm Beach Post, Mar. 5, 2001, at 14A. Although the bill (S.B. 54) passed the Senate 35-2, it died in the House of Representatives. See Florida Legislature — Regular Session — 2001 Session: History of Senate Bills 33-34, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/data/session/2001/citator/Final/senhist.pdf.
45 Giordano v. Babe Ruth League, Inc., 2011 WL 11544183, at 16 (Fla. Cir. Ct. St. Johns Cnty. 2011) (second amended complaint dated Oct. 11, 2011).
46 Giordano, 2013 WL 6911496, at *1. Although the court did not explain its decision, it is clear from the complaint that the dismissed league had the least amount of knowledge and control.
47 See Giordano, Michele v. Jacksonville Beach Babe Ruth Baseball Assoc., Inc., CA11-1352 (2014) (indicating that an agreed settlement order was filed on April 16, 2014, and the case was closed on July 22, 2014).
48 For two recent articles arguing that the baseball rule should be abolished, see Nathaniel Grow & Zachary Flagel, The Faulty Law and Economics of the “Baseball Rule,” 60 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 59 (2018), available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3143732 ; Chris Breton, The Seventh-Inning Stretch[er]?: Analyzing the Antiquated “Baseball Rule” and How It Governs Fan Injuries at Major League Baseball Games, 21 U. Den. Sports & Ent. L.J. 209 (2018).
49 Given that the statute mentions only players, a suit against a team’s manager or coach presumably would not be barred. In 2013, long-time Eastern Connecticut State University baseball coach Bill Holowaty lost his job after “throwing a helmet into the bleachers during a 6-1 loss to Suffolk on March 25 at Eastern Stadium.” Mike Anthony, Eastern’s Holowaty Retires; Coach Was Suspended Earlier in the Week, Hartford Courant, Apr. 27, 2013, at A1. Luckily, no one was hurt. See Jeff Jacobs, It’s Time for Holowaty to Call It a Career, Hartford Courant, Apr. 24, 2013, at C1 (“itself, it’s a stupid act. If the helmet hit somebody, he could have landed in court.”).
50 Florida currently has two National Hockey League teams (the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning) as well as numerous minor league, college, high school, and youth hockey clubs. For a further look at hockey in Florida, see, e.g., Florida Hockey Life magazine, http://floridahockeylife.com/.
51 See Fedornak v. Miami Marlins, LP, 2015 WL 4086445 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Miami-Dade Cnty.) (complaint dated June 12, 2015). See also Jose Lambiet, Victim of ‘Shark’ Bite at Marlins Park Seeks Damages, Miami Herald, Jan. 11, 2017, available at http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/jose-lambiet/article125955379.html.
52 See Fedornak, 2015 WL 4086445 (order of dismissal dated Aug. 30, 2017).
ROBERT M. JARVIS is a professor of law at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, where he teaches a course on baseball law. He is the co-author (with Judge Louis H. Schiff) of Baseball and the Law: Cases and Materials (Carolina Academic Press 2016).

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