Litigation in sports can be ridiculous
The 10 craziest lawsuits in sports revealed

In honor of Super Bowl XL, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) has unveiled its Top 10 craziest sports-related lawsuits of all time.

“Lawsuit abuse puts everyone on injured reserve,” said Peter Bylsma, executive director of Los Angeles CALA. “Even when frivolous lawsuits are dismissed, it costs the court valuable time and wastes taxpayer money.”

The craziest lawsuits are: •Foul Ball Territory––A New Jersey man sued a baseball team and the owners of a food service company for getting hit in the face with a baseball while buying a beer in the concession area at the stadium. Judges in the case said fans in concession areas are at greater risk because they “let their guard down” more than when they’re in the stands. (WKMGTV, July 13, 2004) •Offensive Line––A woman in Tennessee filed a lawsuit for billions of dollars against Super Bowl half-time performers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake as well as the broadcasters, claiming she was injured by the performers’ lewd actions when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s costume, exposing her breast. According to the suit, she suffered outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury. (Associated Press, Feb. 5, 2004) •Field Goal Attempt––A man was injured when fellow Ball State students toppled a goal post after a football upset filed a lawsuit against the goal post maker claiming the aluminum posts were “designed and constructed in a manner which allowed them to suddenly snap and collapse.” (USA Today, Sept. 30, 2003) •Blocked Shot––A California father filed a lawsuit seeking $1.5 million in damages from a school district after his 15-year old son was demoted from the varsity to the junior varsity basketball team. The suit claimed the demotion was “messing up [his son’s] future and professional earnings.” (Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2003) ` •Quarterback Interception–– A high school football star from New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the coach at the University of Miami for not naming him the starting quarterback, something he claims the coach promised through an oral contract when he was a high school senior. (Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2003) •Caught in a Pickle––A popular softball tournament in Arizona was canceled because of a lawsuit filed by a player who broke his ankle in the tournament the year prior. The man was injured sliding into third base in a game at the city-owned sports complexAccording to the suit, the city is responsible for “the dangerous condition existing at third base.” (Arizona Daily Sun, Sept. 152003) •Take Me Out to the Courtroom––A family of four sued the Los Angeles Dodgers for false imprisonment and battery by security guards after one of the family members assaulted a female usher. (California Bar Journal, June 2002) •40-Yard Dash–A woman injured by someone lunging for a ball in the stands during a Notre Dame football game filed a lawsuit against the university for failing to exercise care to protect her. (Associated Press, Sept. 28, 1999) •Choke-N-Roll–Latrell Sprewell, a guard for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, filed a $30 million lawsuit against the National Basketball Association attempting to recoup the salary he lost while carrying out his one-year suspension for choking his coach. (National Basketball Association News, May 21, 1998) •Warmin’ the Bench–A Florida father sued a youth baseball league because his son was told he’d made the league’s allstar team when he hadn’t. As a result of the lawsuit, the baseball league was threatened to be canceled the following year due to costs of the case. (Liability Week, June 29, 1998)

CALA is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain. For more information, please visit www.losangelescala.org.