TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida lawsuit blames a youth baseball league for the beating of an 8-year-old player with a bat.
Tennille A. Hill and Gregory E. Hill, parents and guardians of minor Gregory Jackson Hill Jr., sued Babe Ruth League Inc., North Tampa Athletics Inc., Tommy Pearson, Jonathan Eaker, Bill Beck, Victor Diaz, and the parents and guardians of Issac McDuffie, also a minor.
The case was filed Jan. 18 in Hillsborough County Circuit Court.The Hills allege that their son was injured during baseball evaluations at Live Oak Park for the upcoming season as part of the defendants' tryouts when he was hit by a baseball bat.
The suit alleges Hill was verbally assaulted by McDuffie after Hill had reached base. The defendants failed to recognize this threat, the suit says.
Later, McDuffie attacked Hill with a metal bat while Hill was playing with friends outside the dugout area, the suit says. Hill was first hit in the knee and then in the body and back, sustaining serious and permanent injuries, the suit says.
They claim that Babe Ruth League Inc. and North Tampa Athletics Inc., along with Pearson, Eaker, Beck, and Diaz were responsible for player evaluations and safety during these sessions.
Natalie Fenner of Stroud Fenner Law Firm represents the Hills.