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According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, three separate lawsuits have been filed against the Los Angeles Dodgers alleging excessive use of force by security personnel at Dodger Stadium.
All three lawsuits accuse security personnel of “assault, assault, false detention, violation of civil rights and emotional distress” during the 2021 season.
“Dodgers fans are demanding that ownership immediately change the strict security policies at Dodger Stadium that have been in place since the 2011 Bryan Stow tragedy,” attorney Peter DiDonato wrote in a statement. “The answer is not more security, but smarter security, including transparency to fans and the public and discipline of security personnel where necessary to maintain trust in the system.”
Bryan Stow was a San Francisco Giants fan who was seriously injured after being attacked by Los Angeles fans in the parking lot of Dodgers Stadium in 2011. The Dodgers were later found negligent in the case and ordered to pay millions in damages.
The latest allegations all relate directly to the security staff at the stadium.
In one situation, a fan claimed that a security guard gratuitously attacked him after a game, injuring his face, eye, shoulder and leg. Another woman said security forces attacked her, injuring her face, chest and leg.
The third lawsuit concerns a man who was forcibly removed from the stadium for using inappropriate language, with six security guards allegedly causing injuries to his head, neck and back.
The Dodgers are aware of the lawsuits but have declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
In 2020, diDonato also filed a lawsuit representing a family that alleged they were “racially profiled and treated with excessive force” by Dodgers security personnel during a 2019 playoff game. Fans are demanding $17 million in damages.