Take Me Out to the Courthouse · Foul Territory
The Hole in the Screen
Edling v. Kansas City Baseball & Exhibition Co. (1914)
Charge: Negligence - foul ball came through a hole in a worn protective screen (suit against the club)Court: Kansas City Court of Appeals (Missouri)Docket: Foul Territory
Was the club liable when a ball came through a defective protective screen?
The facts
In 1911 a fan bought a fifty-cent ticket to a minor-league doubleheader and deliberately sat behind home plate, where seats were protected by a wire screen. The screen was old and worn, and a foul ball came straight through a hole in it, striking him in the eye and breaking his nose. He sued the club. The club relied on a recent appeals ruling that fans assume the risk of being hit by balls at a ballgame.
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: Edling v. Kansas City Baseball & Exhibition Co., 168 S.W. 908 (Mo. Ct. App. 1914)
Read more at sabr.org. The source reveals the outcome.