Doubleheader · Bottom of the Ninth
Standing Room, No View
Erickson v. Lexington Baseball Club, Inc. (1951)
Charge: Negligence - overcrowded playoff game left a fan unscreened and unable to see the ball (suit against the minor-league club)Court: Supreme Court of North CarolinaDocket: Bottom of the Ninth
Is a club liable when overselling the park leaves a fan unscreened and unable to see the ball coming?
The facts
At a packed playoff game, more than 4,000 people squeezed into a grandstand built for about 2,500. A man arrived shortly before the first pitch and found every screened seat taken, so he sat in the second row of the bleachers. Standing spectators crowded in front of him and blocked his view of home plate. When a batted ball came his way, the people in front ducked aside and it hit him in the nose. He sued, blaming the overcrowding.
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: Erickson v. Lexington Baseball Club, Inc., 233 N.C. 627, 65 S.E.2d 140 (1951)
Read more at law.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.