Virginia Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

Little League Baseball Settles Nutty Lawsuit

The tournaments leading up to the Little League World Series have been happening all summer and the actual 16-team tournament kicks off in about 11 days. I really enjoy watching the LLWS and I'd hate to see it go which is why I'm so concerned by the latest legal news involving Little League Baseball Incorporated in which they settled a case for $125,000 up in Staten Island, NY.

The injury? Some ligament damage that a 12-year old suffered from sliding into second base. The family sued almost three years after the fact on the grounds that the coach was negligent in not teaching the kid proper sliding technique. Absolutely ridiculous. If a coach lets a kid take batting practice without a helmet then I can see a problem and certainly some negligence, but proper sliding technique? C'mon!

If coaches are going to get sued every time a player gets injured then who in their right mind is going to coach? It's hard enough as it is to get parents to take the time to coach these teams add in financial risk and watch the pool of potentials dry up.

By playing sports you assume some risk of injury, it happens. Even star athletes using perfected techniques end up injured. So why did Little League Incorporated settle? It seems like they're trying to keep that under wraps but they're only hurting themselves. If Little League Baseball Inc. doesn't fess up to why they settled such a weak case it's only going to hurt them in the long run and encourage others to file frivolous suits which can only end up causing fewer coaches, fewer teams, and less opportunities for kids to play a great game in a great environment. Your move Little League.