Dodgers' security violently assaulted fans in 2021, new lawsuits claim
Three lawsuits were filed against the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday alleging that team security personnel assaulted fans in 2021.
The Los Angeles Superior Court complaints allege assault, battery, false imprisonment, violation of civil rights and emotional distress. All the suits seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The lawsuits also included photos and videos.
In one suit, plaintiffs Salvador and Priscilla Mota said they attended the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 17, 2021. The couple was about to drive out of one of the Dodger Stadium parking lots when security team members told Salvador Mota to get out of his car, the suit states.
"Priscilla watched in horror as sworn and non-sworn security attacked her husband without reason or provocation," their suit states.
Salvador Mota was handcuffed and taken to a hospital for severe facial, eye, shoulder and leg injuries, according to their suit.
In the second suit, plaintiff Karen Osorio, her husband, daughter and grandson attended the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 14, 2021. The woman saw a uniformed Los Angeles Police Department Dodgers employee grab cellphones held by her daughter, the daughter's friend and her grandson, then accuse the plaintiff's daughter of unspecified illegal activities, the suit states.
When the plaintiff asked about the security staff's conduct toward her daughter, the guards surrounded and attacked her in front as her companions watched, the suit states. The woman was handcuffed and jailed, but not charged with any crime, the suit states. She suffered facial, chest and leg injuries, according to her suit.
In the third complaint, Adam and Monica Villa, along with their daughter, attended the game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 3, 2021, when guards approached Adam Villa during the contest and complained about his "enthusiastic language," the suit states.
A portion of the incident was caught on cell phone video. In the two-minute video, several security personnel surround Villa and ask him to leave for having used loud profanity, prompting complaints from nearby fans.
"They told him not to cuss and he's not cussing no more," his wife can be heard saying.
Villa tells them that he was already warned by security and agreed not to use the same language. After refusing several requests to leave the bleachers, the video shows the guards aggressively taking him to the ground.
The suit alleges Villa had much of his hair pulled out in front of his wife and daughter. He suffered head, neck and back injuries, and his wife was hurt while trying to prevent the alleged attack, the suit states.
"The answer is not more security, but smarter security, including transparency with fans and the public, and discipline of security personnel when necessary to maintain confidence in the system," plaintiffs' attorney Peter diDonato said in a prepared statement.
A Dodger spokesman said the organization does not comment on ongoing litigation.
