Mired in last place in the National League East, the Philadelphia Phillies aren't doing so well. It also appears that the team's most faithful fan could soon be too distracted to give them the support needed.
According to a recently-filed lawsuit, a woman from Abington, Pa. was injured when the team's mascot threw her into a pool at The Golden Inn in Avalon, a hotel on the shore of southern New Jersey.
Suzanne Peirce alleges that the rambunctious fan-favorite picked her up while she was sitting poolside in a lounge chair in July of 2010. She claims that the Phanatic and tossed her into the shallow end of a swimming pool where she suffered multiple injuries. Per the lawsuit:
“As a result of being thrown into the hotel pool, plaintiff suffered severe and permanent injuries to her head, neck, back, body, arms and legs, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and tissues of her head, neck, back, arms and legs, including but not limited to, a herniated L5-S1 disc, aggravation and/or exacerbation of all known and unknown pre-existing medical conditions, internal injuries of an unknown nature, severe aches, pains, mental anxiety and anguish, and a sever sock to her entire nervous system and other injuries, the full extent of which is not yet know.”
Peirce is now in her mid-30s and walks with a cane, reported USA Today.
According to Jason Nark of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phanatic was not involved with the particular event that Peirce was attending (her sister's wedding) that day but did take photos with newlyweds and interacted with guests at the hotel.
Per NBC Philadelphia, the Phillies released a statement regarding the issue:
“We are aware of the case. We cannot discuss any of the details as it is pending litigation, but we do not believe the Phanatic engaged in any wrongful conduct.”
If Peirce's lawyers are looking for people to testify to the Phanatic's confrontational nature then they might want to reach out to Tommy Lasorda, who has made no secret of his dislike for the mascot.