Seventh-Inning Stretch · Bush Leagues
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Brisson v. Minneapolis Baseball & Athletic Ass'n (1932)
Charge: Negligence - spectator struck by a foul ball in temporary unscreened bleachers when screened seats were full (suit against the ballclub)Court: Supreme Court of MinnesotaDocket: Bush Leagues
Is a ballclub liable when a fan who could not find a screened seat is hit by a foul ball in unscreened overflow bleachers?
The facts
A man bought a grandstand ticket for a minor-league game in Minneapolis but arrived to find all grandstand seats taken. He sat instead in temporary bleachers along the third-base line, which had no screen. In the sixth inning a foul ball bounced into the stands and hit him in the head. He had little experience with baseball. A jury awarded him damages. The club appealed, arguing it had screened the most dangerous area and did not have to provide screened seats for an unusually large crowd.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Brisson v. Minneapolis Baseball & Athletic Ass'n, 185 Minn. 507, 240 N.W. 903 (1932)
Read more at minnlawyer.com. The source reveals the outcome.