A lawsuit has been settled for $14.5 million which involved Little League Baseball, very young players and metal bats. The case arose when a young pitcher suffered brain damage after he was struck by a line drive hit from a metal bat. As a trial date was approaching in the case, the Defendants, including the manufacturer of the Louisville Slugger bat, the retailer that sold it and Little League Baseball, in combination, agreed to the settlement. The family of Steven Domalewski, who was 12 when he was hit in the chest by a batted ball in 2006, had filed the lawsuit. The blow stopped Steven’s heart and left him with severe brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. The settlement, according to a life plan for him, is expected to cover the care that Steven, who is now 18, will need for the rest of his life.

The lawsuit contended that the metal bat wasn’t sufficiently tested and that its marketing violated the Consumer Fraud Act. I have never believed that metal bats should be allowed in Little League Baseball or in any games where young children are involved. Ernest Fronzuto, a lawyer in Woodland Park, N.J., represented the family and did a good job in this case.

Source: ABAJournal.com