“Facts Are Stubborn Things”

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”  John Adams

In our world today, it is all too common for people to make a snap judgment about a person or an event without knowing all of the facts. A great example of this occurred this week in connection with a news story in the Kansas City Star about a lawsuit filed in the Jackson County Circuit Court.
 
It was reported earlier this week that a local man has filed suit against the Kansas City Royals, alleging that he suffered serious injuries to his eye as a result of being hit by a hot dog thrown into the stands by the Royals’ mascot, Sluggerrr.

The Petition filed alleges that Sluggerrr initially was blasting hot dogs into the stands using an air gun. After using the air gun, he then began tossing them to fans. He threw one behind his back and this hot dog apparently hit the plaintiff in the eye allegedly causing a detached retina. The plaintiff alleges that he has undergone two surgeries on his eye and has permanent damage to his vision.

Predictably, there has been a lot of public comment in connection with this story. As a trial lawyer, I am disappointed, but not shocked, that the majority of it is negative.

At this point there is much we don’t know about what took place here. The facts of the case will be developed by the attorneys through the legal process and will tell the tale.

Whether the suit has merit is yet to be determined and I would hope that we all could keep an open mind and not make an uninformed judgment one way or the other.