Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Major League Baseball’s Marlins and the City of Miami are being sued for at least $50,000 by a female fan after she allegedly slipped on dog pee during a game at loanDeport Park. She is seeking a jury trial, according to Miami sports talk show host Andy Slater.
The woman, Luann Hahn, claims that she was injured by slipping on dog pee during one of the Miami Marlins’ “Bark at the Park” events last year. The lawsuit claims she was hurt on April 14, 2024, but the Marlins’ website does not list that date as having a “Bark at the Park” promotion. The dates of that promotion are listed as April 1, April 15 and April 29 in 2024.
“As plaintiff was walking on the premises that was not designated for dogs to be in she slipped on an (sic) dog urine on the floor causing her to fall onto the ground,” the lawsuit reads, according to the New York Post, which obtained a copy of the document. “The existence of the liquid on the floor created an unreasonably dangerous and unsafe condition.”
The Marlins do require a waiver on the team’s website to be signed by anyone who participates in one of their “Bark at the Park” nights.
“I further assume any and all risks associated with my participation in the Event, including, but not limited to, illness, traveling to and from the Event, falls, contact with spectators at the Event, injuries or damages including death sustained by and through other participant dogs,” the waiver reads. “In consideration for allowing me to participate in the Event with my Dog, I hereby for myself, my heirs, executors and administrators or anyone acting on my behalf, waive, release, covenant not to sue, and fully defend, indemnify, hold harmless, and discharge Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., MLB Advanced Media, L.P., the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Marlins Teamco LLC, each of the other Major League Baseball clubs, Marlins Funding LLC, Marlins Holdings, LLC, Marlins Stadium Operator, LLC, Marlins Stadium Developer, LLC, City of Miami, Miami-Dade County…”
However, that waiver only limits a dog owner’s ability to sue the organization, not other fans who attended the game and didn’t bring a dog to the event. It isn’t clear from reports whether Luann Hahn was at the game with a dog or not. That, and the discrepancy between the date she listed in her lawsuit and the Marlins’ website for when “Bark in the Park” promotions were held will, obviously, have to be addressed.
There is also the “Assumption of Risk” clause that every baseball fan accepts when they purchase a ticket to a Miami Marlins game, which states that they “acknowledge and assume all risks and dangers associated” with attending the event. Whether slipping on dog pee is one of those risks a baseball fan is required to assume may also have to be determined.