VAN NUYS – A man who sued the Dodgers, alleging that he was beaten by a pair of other fans inside Dodger Stadium during a 2018 game, has reached a settlement in his case against the team.
Plaintiff Milton Flores alleged the team provided inadequate security and a lack of uniformed Los Angeles police officers the night he was beaten by two other men inside Dodger Stadium during an extra-inning playoff game.
Flores’ Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit named as defendants the Los Angeles Dodgers LLC and the two alleged assailants, Robert and Jaime Joe Berumen. The suit does not state the relationship between the Berumens.
On Monday, attorneys told Judge Eric Harmon on the day trial was scheduled to begin that a settlement was reached and that a request for dismissal will be filed after a confidential release of all claims is drafted. No terms were divulged.
According to Flores’ suit, the Dodgers decreased security in 2004, possibly because of then-owner Frank McCourt’s financial trouble. By 2018, the team began relying solely on security guards in polo shirts, diminishing safety by making police intervention seem less likely to troublemakers, according to the suit.
In August 2018, the Dodgers resumed in-seat sales of beer to fans 21 years old and over who paid with cash or a credit card to vendors at all levels, according to the suit.
Flores and the Berumens were present at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 16, 2018, when Game 4 of the National League Championship Series between the Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers went into the 13th inning before the home team won, 2-1, the suit stated.
At about 10 p.m. and with the score still tied 1-1, Flores and his son- in-law went to the restroom and encountered the Berumens, who appeared drunk and falsely accused Flores of trying to urinate into a trash can, the suit stated.
The Berumens also called Flores a derogatory name suggesting he was not a U.S. citizen, the suit stated.
Security guards tried to calm the situation, but did not follow up to confirm that the Berumens returned to their seats, the suit stated. The guards also did not eject the Berumens from the stadium or monitor them to make sure they did not drink more alcohol or take steps to reduce the chance they would bother Flores again, according to the suit.
At about 11 p.m., Flores and his daughter went to a smoking area of the stadium and encountered the Berumens there, the suit stated. Flores’ daughter accidentally bumped one of the Berumens and apologized, but Robert Berumen shoved the woman and caused her to stumble backward, and no security guards were nearby, the suit stated.
Flores intervened to help his daughter, but Robert Berumen punched him in the face, causing the plaintiff to fall and hit the back of his head on the ground, the suit stated. He lost consciousness and suffered a subdural hematoma, according to the complaint.
Flores’ son-in-law also tried to protect the woman, but Jaime Berumen punched him in the left ear, causing him a laceration and abrasions, the suit stated. The son-in-law was not a plaintiff.
Two security guards arrived later and separated the victims from the Berumens, the suit stated. Flores regained consciousness, but had amnesia and could not recall such basic information as his address, the suit stated.
The Berumens were not charged with any crime and in his court papers, their attorney maintains the pair also have no civil liability in Flores’ suit.
“Defendants allege that the plaintiff in this case created a situation in which the (Berumens) had a reasonable belief regarding an imminent danger of being injured … and caused (the Berumens) to have a reasonable belief that use of force was necessary to prevent the harm from occurring,” their attorney in his pleadings.