Free Access to Legal Articles from Chicago Personal Injury Attorney



Clifford Law Offices is offering a series of legal articles based upon real-life cases, free to the public for educational purposes. An example abstract:

Take Me Out to The Ball Game, But Bring a Mitt

By Robert A. Clifford

It was a pleasant day in late August last year at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins. A fly ball sailed into right field, into the club box seats, right into the lap of a fan busy chatting with a friend, causing severe injuries.

Two weeks later, a 10-year-old boy sitting 10 rows behind the third-base dugout was hit by a foul ball at U.S. Cellular Field. He sustained a fracture and experienced swelling in his brain. He suffers headaches and has difficulty using his right arm.

For their excruciating pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of consortium, they received nothing. A law that was passed in 1992, the Baseball Facility Liability Act, Ill. Comp. Stat., 38/1-49 (1992), granted immunity to the owners and operators of ballparks from errant balls for anyone struck while in the park.

Contrast that scenario with that of a fan who was hit in the eye while standing at a concession cart at a minor league ballpark in New Jersey. He suffered a fractured eye socket. The court, in citing a similar ruling in Pennsylvania, held that the stadium owner had a duty to provide protection to business invitees from balls that go out of play. The concession stand was placed in the open, without protective fences, to facilitate the view.

What are the implications of these cases The full article includes a discussion:

Click here to see the full article (



Free Access to Legal Articles from Chicago Personal Injury Attorney