Jury clears Red Sox after woman sues for $9.5million saying a foul ball hit her in the face

A jury has ruled in favor of the Red Sox in a lawsuit brought by a woman who says she sustained severe facial injuries that required surgery when she was struck by a foul ball at Fenway Park in Boston.

Stephanie Taubin, 49, sued the team and its owner John Henry for $9.5million saying the 2014 incident left her with neurological damage and facial fractures. 

The Brookline native was sitting in the luxury box above home plate when she said a ball hit by Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz struck her on the left side of her face.

She also said there was no glass or netting shielding people in that section from foul balls. The glass in the luxury box section had been removed due to renovations, KMBC reports. 

Stephanie Taubin (right)  sued the Boston Red Sox and its owner after a foul ball struck her in the face during a 2014 game

Taubin said David Ortiz (pictured) hit the ball sending it flying into the luxury box section she was sitting in. She said the ball hit her so hard the bones in her face cracked

Taubin said David Ortiz (pictured) hit the ball sending it flying into the luxury box section she was sitting in. She said the ball hit her so hard the bones in her face cracked

Attorneys for the Red Sox argued during the trial that signs had been placed in the section warning fans to watch out for foul balls. Taubin said the ball was moving so fast she could not react.

A jury, however, sided with the team and found that the Red Sox and its owner were not negligent when the ball struck Taubin.

During the trial, Taubin testified that the ball hit her so hard that she heard the bones in her face crack.

‘It just kind of knocked me,’ she said in court, according to WCVB. ‘(I) felt the bones in my face crack and felt an enormous amount of pain.’ 

‘It was so insanely fast. The ball had definite spin on it,’ she added.  

Taubin’s attorney said he’s not happy with the outcome.

‘Obviously, we’re disappointed at the result,’ said her lawyer, Marc Diller. ‘It needs to be known that Ms. Taubin was paying attention, and the speed of the ball was so fast that she couldn’t avoid it.’ 

Taubin said she was sitting above the home plate and there was no glass shield or netting protecting fans from foul balls. A jury found that the team and Red Sox owner was not negligent when she was hit 

Taubin said she was sitting above the home plate and there was no glass shield or netting protecting fans from foul balls. A jury found that the team and Red Sox owner was not negligent when she was hit 

Diller said Taubin underwent three surgeries to repair the broken bones in her face and she suffers permanent nerve damage beneath her left eye. 

A spokesman says while the Red Sox ‘regret the injury’ to Taubin, ‘we are pleased with today’s outcome.’

According to KMBC, in the nine years since the glass shield was removed around 51 people sitting in the luxury boxes above home plate were hit by a foul ball and required medical attention.



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