Erin Collins, center, sister, Bonnie Stow, left, sister, and Ann Stow, right, mother of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow, express thanks during a news conference at a hospital in San Francisco, Monday, May 23, 2011. Bryan Stow, 42, was severely beaten outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on March 31, 2011. A tip from a parole officer late last week led to the arrest Sunday of Giovanni Ramirez, 31, of Los Angeles in the attack. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
LOS ANGELES - The family of a San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten outside Dodger Stadium filed a lawsuit today against the Los Angeles Dodgers, claiming poor security contributed to the opening-day attack.
Bryan Stow, 42, was attacked after the Dodgers' opening-day victory over the Giants March 31. Police said Stow, who was wearing Giants gear, was beaten in a stadium parking lot by two men wearing Dodgers paraphernalia.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that it took stadium personnel 10 to 15 minutes to reach Stow after the attack was reported.
"Despite being the home opener against the rival Giants, no security was present in the parking lot or by the area where taxis were waiting," according to the lawsuit. "Moreover, the parking lot had inadequate lighting. The lack of security and inadequate lighting presented a perfect opportunity to commit a variety of crimes. Unfortunately for Bryan Stow, this is exactly what happened."
A spokesman for the team declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing a policy of not discussing pending litigation.
Security at Dodger Stadium has been beefed up since the beating occurred. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt also enlisted the help of former Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton, who now heads a security consulting firm.
Two days after the attack, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt condemned the assailants, but said he believed the team had adequate security in place.
"Any human being
doing physical harm to another human being, just words can't describe how awful that is," McCourt said. "That said, it happens. It's one of those awful things and I'm not making any excuses whatsoever ... but I'm quite confident that all of our measures were in place, and it's just one of those things that you could have 2,000 policemen there and it's just not going to change that random act of violence. It's a sad, sad thing."The lawsuit alleges that McCourt's "financial mismanagement and family woes" contributed to the safety problems at the stadium, arguing that cutbacks "led to a major downscaling of security forces" at the stadium and in the parking lot. The suit contends that McCourt's business is aimed at funding his "lavish lifestyle while depleting the Dodgers of necessary funds to operate adequately and properly."
News of the lawsuit came two days after the arrest of a suspect in the beating. Giovanni Ramirez, 31, was arrested Sunday in east Hollywood. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
A search was continuing for a second beating suspect and a female getaway driver.
Stow was recently transferred from Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center to a hospital in San Francisco, closer to his home. He remains in critical condition.
"It's fairly simple. The Dodgers have shown a total disregard for public safety," Stow family attorney Thomas Girardi told ESPN. "They've gotten rid of security people. They've had all these incidents at their games, more than other teams. There's also a known gang presence. What did they think was going to happen?"
Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18129210?source=rss
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