Don't think I'm far off when I assume A's, Coliseum crew, Rangers and Francsico are hoping this gets quickly and quietly resolved.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/11521713.htm

A's fan is suing Rangers

By Kathleen O'Brien
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


ARLINGTON - Jennifer Bueno, whose nose was broken by a chair thrown in an incident involving Rangers relief pitchers in Oakland, Calif., in September, filed suit Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court.

The lawsuit names as defendants the Texas Rangers baseball team; reliever Frank Francisco, who threw the chair; relievers Doug Brocail and Carlos Almanzar and security company Staff Pro Inc.

In the suit, Bueno seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for battery, assault, negligence, negligent training and negligent security.

Francisco, who is scheduled to undergo season-ending elbow ligament replacement surgery today, also faces criminal charges of misdemeanor assault stemming from the incident.

Steven Cavalli, an attorney representing Bueno, said Thursday: "Her physical injuries have fairly well healed. . . . The main problem she's been dealing with is the emotional impact of it. She's seen a psychologist and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She and her husband gave up their season tickets to the A's, and she hasn't been to a baseball game since."

Bueno and her husband, Craig, were seated near the Rangers' bullpen during the Sept. 13 game, and Craig Bueno was among a group of A's fans heckling the Rangers' players. The lawsuit alleges that Brocail and Almanzar attempted to punch fans and that their actions "incited and agitated the riot."

The suit also states that Francisco "without provocation, grabbed a folding metal chair and intentionally and recklessly hurled it into the crowd of fans."

The Rangers club, the suit states, "ratified" the players' conduct by not disciplining them beyond the suspensions handed down by Major League Baseball, by keeping them as employees, and by not sufficiently training players to refrain from such attacks.

Staff Pro Inc. was "careless and negligent" in the security it provided, the suit says.

Rangers spokesman Gregg Elkin said "the organization doesn't address issues relative to litigation, especially when it involves a lawsuit which we have not seen."

Francisco was suspended by MLB for the remainder of the season (16 games) after the Sept. 13 incident. Brocail was suspended for six games and Almanzar for four.

Brocail and Almanzar declined to comment, and Francisco was not available.

A pretrial hearing on the misdemeanor assault charges against Francisco scheduled for Thursday at the Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland was postponed until June 2. Francisco's attorney, Rick Minkoff, presented some additional discovery information to the judge. Francisco has pleaded not guilty.

"The judge received some material that we think is relevant to our case," Minkoff said. "We also gave the judge some materials relevant to the possible immigration consequences of a plea."

Francisco, a native of the Dominican Republic, is on a work visa in the United States. The maximum criminal sentence of one year in county jail and three years' probation could lead to deportation.