
Bradford Campeau-Laurion is suing over his being ejected from Yankee Stadium for getting up to go to the bathroom during the singing of God Bless America. He is claiming political and religious discrimination.
After his ejection, Campeau-Laurion, 30, insisted that he was unaware of the policy, which has been the source of ongoing controversy.
He is not just suing the team but also the New York City police department and several individual officers.
The lawsuit has been brought by the New York ACLU. He is described in the lawsuit as a lifetime fan and someone who has “been to nearly 100 Major League Baseball games.”
For a copy of the lawsuit, click here.
For the full story, click here.


Maybe this guy needs to enlist or something.
More than a million Men & women in the military have died protecting this country and what it stands for.
He could have held his need to see the bathroom for two minutes and shown them a bit of respect.
No doubt you slimeballs will defend this slimeball – I bet even his mother is ashamed of him.
Well he should know what the policy is. . . .
Come on. . . .
They Serve beer. . .
A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. . .
Come on is this baby sitting 101.
If ya gotta go you gotta go. . .
The Yankees?
Well you have to command some respect. . .
I bet he does not even know what the last 2 words of the National Anthem are. . . . .
PLAY BALL
leann,
Mame, with all due respect has anyone ever, ever, ever stopped the car so you could go to the bathroom?
And why would someone defending this man have anything to do with it? I guess you do not have any familiarity with the terms of this list….
Maybe you should not be able to post on here until you learn. Ok, A Defendant is someone being sued, can you repeat that 3 times so you won’t forget?
A Prosecutor works for the People and represents the People. They represent a general threat to society at large. Ok, once you have the about 2 terms down.
This man is a Plaintiff, a plaintiff has a wrong to them specifically or a certain number of people have a wrong against them and if the number is large enough then, they are a class action. The Appeals names are too complicated here to eplain.
One have you ever been to a MLB game and paid the price? That is a crime in its own right.
Have you seen the Yankees play, lately, that is even more criminal.
Do you know that the Yankee’s pay there players more than all of the other teams or at least it seems like it. That should be criminal.
Geeze.
leann:
“Maybe this guy needs to enlist or something.
More than a million Men & women in the military have died protecting this country and what it stands for.
He could have held his need to see the bathroom for two minutes and shown them a bit of respect.”
*************
Leann’s Rule: Millions of men & women died defending this Country, therefore one shouldn’t do anything, even in negligence or from necessity, that offends the tender sensibilities of any pious jingoist.
“Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.”
–Friedrich von Schiller
Lou Dobbs Rips Keith Olbermann, Garofalo, and MSNBC (pretty sure I heard Turley mentioned…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOycxiaBcGI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eolbermannwatch%2Ecom%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2Flou%5Fdobbs%5Frips%2Ephp&feature=player_embedded
Yes, Mespo, we know – you think respect for America and patriotic displays are wrong.
You made that sentiment abundantly clear.
Sadly, this time you’re not too far from being correct. The man in question should have had every legal right to get up and go to the head – no matter what music was playing.
People – leann in this case – often conflate law and morality. While the man was obliviously morally defunct and showed neither love or respect for America and its servicemen and women, no law should prevent him from being whatever sort of ass he wishes to be, unless it interferes with other people.
ya, you leftys always let little things like facts get in the way: “The officers observed a male standing on his seat, cursing, using inappropriate language and acting in a disorderly manner while reeking of alcohol and decided to eject him rather than subject others to his offensive behavior,” Browne said.
and as usual, you will believe the most outlandish lie these scum spread to win a lawsuit and get a few bucks – no matter what.
The problem with this whole situation seems to revolve around what leann is referencing. All of these actions are vague and subject to the security personnel’s judgment. They also decided to “apply” the rules at an odd time. As far as I know, it is the law that a business that serves the public must allow any patron to use the restroom regardless of the situation. This has been shown through numerous recent lawsuits where people who were denied use of facilities won a judgment. It will interesting to see how the defense reconciles the obligation of Yankee Stadium to allow all patrons to use the restroom with their selective interpretation of disorderly conduct rules.
Leann,
I’ll say it first, because many here will later say it in a much less rational manner – what you just wrote aren’t facts; their the accusations of one side of pending court case, just as anything that the man who was ejected isn’t fact but instead accusation.
All parties involved mus be presumed to have reasons to lie, so collaborative evidence is required before anything can be legally described as factual.
A bit of filthy legalism? Yes, certainly – but this is a blog run by an attorney and frequented by many of his sort.
leann,
I appreciate your right to say whatever you want to say even inflammatory. Where your statments become against the law and repugnant is when they incite a riot.
As stated to you do not confuse MORALITY with Legality. This country has been divided by single issue proponents and I see you are doing your best. How do you knoe if this person is suffering from some speical medical needs?
I embarrassed myself one time Yelling at this seemingly able bodied female that was parking in a Handicapped spot. Her fiancee rather than beat the shit to of me came over and stated calmly that she had just gotten out of the hospital for Cystic Fibrosis and show me the hospital discharge papers.
Oh what an ass I felt like. SO you never know.
Why not offer free adult and children’s diapers with every ticket purchase?
Jill,
That all “Depends” bada boom
Doh!
jonolan: get off your high horse; attorneys are a dime a dozen in the United States, used car salesmen are rated higher than attorneys, and we all would be better off if it weren’t for the hoard of underemployed attorneys looking for clients willing to sue anybody for anything to put money in their bank accounts.
I don’t understand how a baseball team can force someone to listen to the singing of a song rather than go to the bathroom. Can a public venue close its washrooms at any time during the hours it is open? Was there a contractual obligation to not have to the restroom during the singing of the song? Was this policy displayed on the ticket? How can a baseball team legally revoke my license to go to the Yankee game because I have to go the bathroom? What is so special about God Bless America? It is not even the National Anthem? Was there a city ordinance that required my witnessing of the song’s performance? So many questions over the need to urinate. Isn’t it a little overboard to allege someone has to listen to a patriotic song? The Yankees violated this guys right to use the washroom facilities during business hours. What else matters?
As mentioned above, two words should be sufficient to make this policy discriminatory – medical necessity.
Leann,
A medical necessity would be appropriate under the circumstances: Euthanasia and contrary to popular belief it is not a social club in Asia.
“God Bless America” was instituted in Yankee Stadium during the 7th inning stretch aft 9/11. Upper level tickets, cheap seats, in the new Stadium go for about $86 per game. It takes about five minutes to get to a bathroom. George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees inherited the World’s Largest ship maker and bankrupted it. He was able to buy the Yankees for $8.7 million (ridiculously cheap)from CBS because Mike Burke the Yankees President brokered the deal with the understanding he would stay on. The boss fired him 3 months later. The Yankees became his gold mine, since he was inept in other field. The Boss was criminally charged during Watergate for bribery and got a suspended sentence. Neither his nor his children ever served in the military. Phony patriotism is his game and an overactive ego is his trademark.
Anyone who thinks that one’s patriotism can hinge on singing a song, or pledging to an oath, has no idea of of either patriotism, or what the USA stands for. A someone with prostate problems I know that holding it in is no option. I would think that peeing in a cup, while singing GBA, would be just as disrespectful, not to mention considered public lewdness.
Leann’s right again: “… and we all would be better off if it weren’t for the hoard of underemployed attorneys looking for clients willing to sue anybody…” Better we should take it to the streets!! Oh the neocon mentality–or lack of it.
Woody Guthrie is rolling in his grave.
good grief. “God Bless America” was written by Irving Berlin. It’s practically a show tune. I’m with Mike Spindell.
leann,
While you’re essentially right,
Is peeing in public during the song more respectful? Get a grip!
Ok, ok, I can’t resist.
Oh, take me out to the bathroom, take me out to the bathroom.
I don’t care if I never get back, buy me some pee nuts and blackjacks.
Because it root, root, root for the men in blue.
I did not know if I went to the bathroom that I’d get so screwed….
Take that you commie conservatives.
I pledge allegiance to my prostate. And to the Republicans that would have me stand, one foot crossed behind the other, I say, God Bless America where a man is free to use a urinal from sea to shining sea, so help me god.
Mine eye hast seen the rising of the urine in them.
They have been burnt and stung from holding it in so long.
They have me trampling in the seat that I am in, my charge goes marching on.
I like humor. Thank you.
As an American citizen living in a democratic society,the land of the free,I will damn well leave my seat when the hell I want.
I mean,to tell people that they cannot move about freely for a period of time or face removal from the property sounds like a legal issue in a type of ‘false imprisonment’ area.
The f*cking country has slipped into a police state and we are losing our freedom everyday a little bit at a time with a new law here and a new rule there.That’s how they do it, slowly and
methodically a little bit at a time while we’re too busy to take the time to look around and see what’s happening all around us.
Yeah,Yankee Stadium,where Guilianni and Bloomberg were sitting in $700 box seats which probably have gold plated portable toilets under their seats.
Mike S,
Those $700 box seats are now $2,800 per game. Bring the family and spend $11,200 for a 3 hour game, or be a former and current corrupt NYC Mayor and come for free.
I’m such a simpleton. Why is this an issue? It seems to me, the policy could very well discriminate against people with certain medical conditions, even unintentionally. Why is it so hard to make it go away? Do we need to wait until it happens to someone afflicted by some appropriate disease before the law can do anything? Or worse, sit around until an elderly gentleman publicly embarasses himself because he is forcefully prevented from going to the restroom while he is escorted out of the park? There has to be another solution. I’m fine with patriotism, but not forced patriotism at the possible expense of dignity.
ok, Yes there is something wrong about forcing people to sit for the song, if that is indeed the policy. I have searched everywhere and can’t find proof that this policy exists. the only things i can find are just references this guy makes in all the stories on-line of his ejection. Does someone have a link to this policy?
and as put by “9 jonolan
1, April 18, 2009 at 8:02 am
Leann,
I’ll say it first, because many here will later say it in a much less rational manner – what you just wrote aren’t facts; their the accusations of one side of pending court case, just as anything that the man who was ejected isn’t fact but instead accusation.
All parties involved mus be presumed to have reasons to lie, so collaborative evidence is required before anything can be legally described as factual.”
So if all parties must be heard equally, why is the police report not cited here? They claim that he was causing a disturbance. If the practice of law is to ultimatly find the truth why not tell the whole story and not make me have to search for the other side? And no, I am not a right wing conservative troll on the site. I just think that if this site (which i enjoy very much and agree with most of the time) is to have actual credibility it should tell the whole story and not just lean to the controversy.
jonno,
It’s not really Prof. Turley’s modus operandi to present objective facts on these matters. He presents “his case” as it were instead. You can almost always tell where his bias is just by reading the posts.
But hey, he never once to my knowledge claimed this was a true news site.
Leanne
I am a veteran who put my life on the line for this country. I did it so that loud mouthed authoritarians can have the right to say whatever bile come bubbling out of their mouths. But I did not do it so that loud mouthed authoritarians could force their fellow citizens into idolatrous displays of patriotism that they don’t feel. Enforced patriotism is no better than the false patriotism of scoundrels who would wrap themselves in the flag to cover their distaste for the freedoms that the flag actually represents.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/07/us/AP-US-Yankees-Lawsuit.html?_r=1
Apparently not all press is good press, eh, Yankees?
Go Royals!
Anyone mistaking this for the equivalent of saying “the Yankees suck!” would not technically be mistaken.
“Go Royals!”
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=nytimes&page=mlb/stand/standings.aspx?League=AL
Second to last!
Allrightee!
However Buddha,
The Royals did provide lots of drama as they Yankees went on to win the 77 & 78 World Series.
So we thank them for that.
And the angry face of George Brett.
Viva Graig Nettles & pine tar!
BTW, continuing on the issue of Social Security numbers
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/us/07numbers.html?hp
Bob,
I know, I know, but for the first time in a long time I think the Royals have all the ingredients they need to go to the series again if Hillman can get them to gel. Olivo knows how to run a game from the plate, our pitching has some depth even if under/undeveloped yet and the D is good enough if we can just get some of our own runners home. We’ve been leaving a lot of men on base. Being a Royals fan isn’t as thankless as being a Cubbies fan, but it sure has been close. Besides, having been out there now since the remodel, I’ll have to say even if we don’t win, we’ve got one of the nicest parks in MLB. The only thing that makes AT&T Field for the Giants nicer is it’s surrounded by San Francisco.