LA Dodgers Face $17M Lawsuit from Fans Who Allege Mistreatment by Security
On Wednesday, the Verdin family filed a $17M lawsuit against the Los Angeles Dodgers over an incident after game 5 of the NLDS last year. The lawsuit alleges racism and profiling in a claim where they were “beaten and abused by stadium security because they are Latinos.”
The family held a news conference on Thursday over the allegations.
“I was just in shock the whole time. It was unexpected, out of nowhere,” said David Verdin.
According to Yahoo Sports, the family was near an exit, per the report, where the family claims they were “accosted” and “battered” by security guards who allegedly called them “gang bangers, thugs and homies.”
“Without warning, my clients were jumped by security. Not only were they accosted and stopped, there was no inquiry of them. They were on the ground — chokehold, knee on neck,” the family’s attorney, Peter diDonato, said.
18-year-old Jaime Verdin suffered a broken nose from the incident and says that team personnel tried to blame her injuries on another one of her family members. Additionally, Rigoberto Verdin Sr. suffered injuries to his arm and hand after being tackled. Rigoberto Jr. claims a guard pinned him tot the ground and held a knee on his neck.
The lawsuit is demanding $7 million for false arrest, imprisonment and a violation of civil rights, and another $10 million in punitive damages.
The Dodgers have chosen not to comment.
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If these claims are proven true, If I were a Dodger fan ( and I am since 1958) I would stop being a fan because no one should be mistreated this way.
The truth doesn’t matter. This is probably a nuisance suit for the sole purpose to get the Dodgers to settle. The Dodgers can avoid litigation without admitting guilt of any kind and the family gets their money minus attorney fees. Allege racism, claim a chokehold was used, throw in a few comments about being a gang member and you’ve got a classic lawsuit from some opportunistic attorney looking for a payday.
Pump the brakes Ruben, there are two sides to every story and isn’t a bit odd that this is the incident that would force you to quit being a Dodger fan? After all if you didn’t quit being a Dodger fan after the trade of Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, allowing Adrian Beltre to leave via free agency the fact you couldn’t get Dodger games on TV in LA, and the McCourt era I have to question why the actions of some Dodger security guards would force you to leave.
I’ve seen it many times at Dodger Stadium. Drink alcohol to an excess, throw some gang signs, act like a fool and when you’re asked to leave you make an ass of yourself and then claim security was too aggressive when all they were trying to do was make the stadium experience safe for everyone including the families with the young and very impressionable kinds who have to witness this crap just to see a game. Take a breath Ruben and wait for the facts. I see this lawsuit being dismissed assuming the Dodger attorneys fight it and don’t cave just because racism has been alleged.
I was mistreated by the LA Police department at dodger stadium and they kick me out and threatened me that if I wasn’t quite they were going to call me in jail.
If they were profiled for being “latino” then why didn’t they pick on the 30K other “latinos” at each game? I have never seen anyone at any Dodger game be mistreated for no reason. In fact, the Dodger show restraint with all the buffoons that act up at every game. Wait for the video. The whole video, not the edited version for the lawsuit.
Nuisance lawsuit and nothing more. Claim racism and a choke hold and then expect to get paid. I’m surprised Rueben would quit being a fan when I thought it might have been the Pedro Martinez trade, the Mike Piazza trade, the Paul Konerko trade, the failure to sign Adrian Beltre, the McCourt era or the inability to watch the Dodgers on local TV in LA that might have forced you to quit being a fan.
It might only take the actions of some security guards trying to protect families from some over inebriated Dodger fans who might have thrown some gang signs or threatened others to possibly make you quit being a Dodger fan. See ya!
Ridiculous. They started a ruckus and then try to play the race card. Security doesn’t just randomly start brawling with people of any color. My guess is one of the drunk males started something, resisted arrest and dragged the family into it. Happens all the time.