LOS ANGELES – A lawyer for a San Francisco Giants fan who suffered brain damage in a beating at Dodger Stadium told a jury Thursday that the Los Angeles team failed its responsibility to keep fans safe.
Tom Girardi, an attorney for plaintiff Bryan Stow, made the claim in his closing argument at the negligence lawsuit against the Dodgers and former owner Frank McCourt.
"Dodger Stadium got to a place where it was total mess," Girardi said. "There was a culture of violence. Beer sales were off the charts."
The case was expected to be placed in hands of jurors for deliberations later in the day, following closing arguments by the defense.
During the testimony phase of the trial, plaintiff's lawyers called a parade of witnesses in a campaign to prove there wasn't sufficient security when the California rivals played on opening day in 2011.
"The only thing Bryan Stow was doing was wearing a jersey that said 'Giants,'" Girardi said in his argument.
The Dodgers and McCourt tried to show that the security staff was larger than ever and no one could have prevented the assault on Stow by two Dodgers fans.
Girardi said jurors must decide whether the Dodgers exercised reasonable care to protect fans, and he asserted that there should have been more uniformed police officers at the stadium.
Girardi also suggested that the jury assign 100 percent of the fault to the team.
The closing arguments came a day after Stow, who was injured in a stadium parking lot, sat front and center in court.
Stow, 45, didn't testify, but his appearance in a wheelchair showed jurors the ghastly scars on his head where his skull was temporarily removed during treatment.
Jurors also saw a brief video of the two men who went to prison for beating Stow. The defense claims Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, who pleaded guilty in the assault, were the only ones responsible for the beating.
Girardi said outside court Wednesday that the former paramedic has no memory of the events. Girardi said he has had to explain to Stow why he is sitting in court.
The plaintiffs are seeking about $50 million for Stow's lifetime care.
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