The jury in the civil trial of Bryan Stow, the MLB Giants fan who was beaten at Dodger Stadium in '11, found that the Dodgers "share responsibility for Stow's injuries along with Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, who were convicted earlier this year of the assault," according to a front-page piece by Knoll & Kim of the L.A. TIMES. Former Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt was "found not liable" for the attack. The 9-3 jury ruling came after four weeks of testimony and nine days of deliberations. An attorney for the Dodgers said that the team is "on the hook" for $13.9M of the jury's verdict. The plaintiffs, led by attorney Thomas Girardi, "alleged the Dodgers and McCourt were to blame because of shoddy security and poor lighting." Former Dodgers security personnel "testified that the organization was ill-equipped to handle the massive crowd that arrived for opening day" in '11. The defense "countered that opening day that year marked the then-largest security force in the history of Dodger Stadium" and "presented evidence that the Dodgers had increased spending on security every year" (L.A. TIMES, 7/10). The AP's Robert Jablon noted the damages awarded totaled about $18M, divided "among the Dodgers and the two men who beat" Stow. Girardi said that the Dodgers must pay about $14M "in economic losses and a quarter of the pain and suffering sum," adding about $1M more (AP, 7/9).
PAYOUT IN PERSPECTIVE: In S.F., Kurtis Alexander in a front-page piece notes Stow and his family sued the Dodgers and McCourt "for negligence, claiming that Dodgers management did not provide enough security at Dodger Stadium." The Dodgers' attorney argued that Stow had "partly brought the attack on himself by drunkenly berating Dodgers fans, and the verdict awarded him substantially less than what he had sought." The lawsuit has been seeking more than $50M. S.F.-based attorney Nanci Clarence said that the jury's award "falls short of what many victims with permanent disabilities have won against those found liable for their condition" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/10). In California, Clay Fowler writes it "remains to be seen" whether the $18M verdict in favor of Stow will "set a precedent that alters stadium security policies in the area and beyond." L.A. Coliseum GM Joe Furin said, "This particular jury doesn’t make us think about it any more than normal. We’ve been discussing it since it happened" (Inland Valley DAILY BULLETIN, 7/10).
