LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A judge has denied a motion by the Dodgers that sought iPhone evidence supporting a claim for emotional distress made by the wife of a fan hospitalized with a serious brain injury when he was allegedly attacked in a stadium parking lot after a 2019 game.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker ruled Tuesday that the team's request for such the medical information from Christel Reyna was "vague and overbroad" and violated her right to privacy.
Christel Reyna's spouse is Rafael Reyna, whose lawsuit alleges negligence, premises liability, assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He maintains lighting was poor and security was lacking at the game.
Christel Reyna has a separate bystander claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress. The Dodger attorneys wanted access to her iPhone health data related to her heart rate.
"This information is directly relevant to defending against Mrs. Reyna's claim for emotional distress in this action," the Dodger lawyers argued in their court papers.
Christel Reyna has put her health at issue, particularly her heart rate, by stating that she continues to suffer anxiety attacks and a racing heart for which she is seeking damages for her past and future medical care, according to the Dodger attorneys' court papers.
"Information related to Mrs. Reyna's heart rate must be produced, as it goes to directly to the validity of her claims in this matter," the team's attorneys maintain in their court papers.
But according to the plaintiffs' attorneys, the iPhone data request was "overly broad, harassing and invades" Christel Reyna's privacy rights under the state constitution.
The iPhone health data extracts personal information on its owner, such as sleep, steps and workouts, depending on what the device's owner wants, the plaintiffs' attorneys state in their court papers.
"Moreover, defendants are in possession of Mrs. Reyna's psychiatric mental health records," the plaintiffs' lawyers further stated in their court papers.
The Reynas' attorneys believe the crime rate at Dodger Stadium exceeds that of any other ballpark in Major League Baseball, according to their court papers.
Security was reduced in 2004 for financial reasons, possibly due to the financial troubles of former owner Frank McCourt, and in 2008, the Dodgers began relying solely on security guards uniformed in polo shirts, without any uniformed Los Angeles police officers, the suit filed in April 2020 alleges.
Rafael Reyna was attacked after watching the Dodgers play the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 29, 2019, the suit states. The game lasted 13 innings and ended shortly before midnight, according to the complaint.
After the game, Reyna went to one of the parking lots to reach his car and called his wife to let her know he would soon be departing Dodger Stadium, but he was overtaken by about five people and violently beaten, causing him to collapse onto the parking lot asphalt and strike his head, the suit states.
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