Court Opinion

ID: 9875850
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-26 22:43:20.919068+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:47:05.914888
License: Public Domain

Lynch, J.
(dissenting). I respectfully dissent. The majority *1586has correctly stated the principles underlying the assumption of risk doctrine and I fully recognize that a voluntary participant in a sporting activity assumes the inherent risks of that sport. That said, I agree with Supreme Court that a question of fact has been raiséd as to whether the risks of participating in the baseball tryouts were unduly enhanced by the conditions and methods employed by the coach. The mere fact that the tryouts were conducted indoors does not sustain plaintiffs’ claim. Nor is this simply a matter of utilizing the wrong equipment, i.e., an aluminum bat and hard ball. Rather, the event must be viewed in full context. Whether Matthew Legac should be charged with an awareness of the risks of participating in the tryouts must be assessed “against the background of [his] skill and experience” (Morgan v State of New York, 90 NY2d 471, 486 [1997] [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]; see Maddox v City of New York, 66 NY2d 270, 278 [1985]). Having played baseball since he was five years old, Legac was an experienced 15-year-old player, concededly aware of the inherent risk of being hit by a baseball (see Morrisey v Haskell, 133 AD3d 949, 949 [2015], lv denied 26 NY3d 919 [2016]). This tryout, however, was his first experience playing baseball in a gymnasium.
Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to plaintiffs as the nonmoving parties (see Vega v Restani Constr. Corp., 18 NY3d 499, 503 [2012]), Legac first participated in fielding drills on the second day of tryouts. During that session, the coach, Edward Potter, and the players stood at opposite ends of the full-length basketball court, a distance of 75 feet. As described by Legac, Potter “hit [the ball] slowly . . . a lot like a dribble” for the players to field. Legac endeavored to field two balls during this session, missing one. The next fielding drill was on the fourth and final day of tryouts. This drill was conducted across the width of the basketball court, measuring 48 feet. Each player was to field five balls and Legac was fourth or fifth in line. Potter was using an aluminum fungo bat with a hard ball. Legac testified that the coach did not give any instructions or demonstration on how to field a ground ball, but acknowledged that he knew how to field a ground ball. Legac testified that, watching the players before him, they had difficulty and that only one player was able to field one ball. Legac explained that Potter “was swinging the ball as hard as he could” and confirmed that “the ball was traveling faster than it would during a baseball game.” Legac’s injury occurred on the first ball hit to him. He remembered getting into his stance and that the ball bounced once before striking him near his right eye.
For his part, Potter acknowledged that “you’re not going to *1587hit the ball the same inside as you are outside. You’re not going to use the same force” for two reasons: “the distance that you’re standing at, one. Two, there’s nothing that’s slowing the ball down.” Potter further explained, “We don’t need to hit the ball that hard to see the skill of a player of how he’s going to pick the ball up and field it.” He also confirmed “that with the more force that you hit the ball with the bat, the higher th[e] ball would be after a bounce.” He explained that the objective was “to hopefully get one or two hops out of it and then be able to field the ball below your waist, which is a game situation.”
In my view, Potter’s explanation juxtaposed against Legac’s description of the actual event raises a question of fact as to whether the risks of injury were unduly enhanced by where and how this fielding drill was conducted. That the ball bounced once striking Legac at eye level is, by Potter’s own testimony, a validation of Legac’s testimony that Potter was hitting the ball too hard for this indoor setting. As such, it is my view that Supreme Court properly denied defendants’ summary judgment motion.
Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, motion granted, summary judgment awarded to defendants and complaint dismissed.