Cook County Correctional Officer Rubin Lopez (and White Sox fan) has filed a lawsuit against his beloved Chicago White Sox baseball franchise and its security team for a 2009 scuffle in which he was arrested, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. A struggle ensued after another fan allegedly threw a plastic beer bottle over the upper deck during a game between interleague rivals Cubs and White Sox.
As with any legal action, there are two sides to this story. Undisputed is the fact that a spectator began cursing and then threw a beer bottle off the upper deck. Fans summoned security and officers took a Cubs fan into custody, a man Rubin Lopez told security officers was the wrong guy.
Beyond that, it gets a little hazy.
The plaintiff's Illinois injury attorney didn't comment to the press, but Rubin Lopez recounted his version of the June 27, 2009 incident. He claims he was merely trying to do the right thing, even if it meant defending a rival Cubs fan, but said that he was snubbed by the security guards:
"That's when [the officer] said to me to mind my own business. And that's when I let him know, I was a Cook County Sheriff [corrections officer], off duty."
Rubin Lopez claims that he was bad-mouthed, dragged across several rows of seats (where he says he fell into another officer), punched by other security guards, and finally taken into custody. He claims it had something to do with another rivalry: city vs. county officers. He also alleges that one of them told him they would do whatever they could to "ruin [his] career."
Chicago Police claim that Rubin Lopez shoved and knocked over a security officer after they tried to break up a disturbance. Check out the video footage in the related resources section for yourself, which the White Sox fan claims will back his claims (against the White Sox) in court.
The plaintiff is suing for battery and malicious prosecution.
Related Resources:
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Elements of a Battery (FindLaw)
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Fight at US Cellular Field (Video, Chicago Sun-Times)
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Nude Runner Alleges Assault by Penn State Police (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
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Call a Chicago Accident Attorney (FindLaw)
