McCourt lawyer: Stow shares blame

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Lawsuits are flying around the Dodgers and owner Frank McCourt like baseballs during batting practice.

The latest: An attorney representing the team and its embattled owner filed a civil complaint against Marvin Norwood and Louis Sanchez, the two men accused of beating Giants fan Bryan Stow on Opening Day 2011.

As part of it, ESPNLosAngeles.com reported Thursday that McCourt attorney Jerome Jackson claimed that Stow could, in the eyes of a jury, bear some liability for the attack.
"One of the things the jury will be asked to do is to determine what percentage of fault various individuals have for this event," Jackson told the website. "You're saying to the jury, 'They (the Stow family) are saying we're 100 percent liable. But does that mean (Marvin) Norwood and (Louis) Sanchez, who beat this guy up, have no liability? And, does it mean Mr. Stow himself has no liability?'
The attorney referenced a 2005 lawsuit in which a woman lost sight in one eye after a fight at Dodgers Stadium. A jury found her assailant 85 percent liable and the woman who sustained the eye injury 15 percent liable. The Dodgers were deemed to have no liability in the incident.

The Stow family has filed a lawsuit against McCourt and the Dodgers. Lawyers representing the family have estimated Stow's medical costs and damages could exceed 50 million.

The Stow family initated the negligence lawsuit in May that cited security cutbacks, poor lighting and a lax approach to ballpark rowdiness as factors in Stow's beating, which occurred in the parking lot following the March 31 game between the Giants and L.A.

Norwood, 30, and Sanchez, 29, are charged with mayhem, assault and battery in the attack on Stow.

Prosecutors contend that Sanchez hit two of Stow's friends before chasing down Stow and punching him from behind in the side of his head. Both men have entered not guilty pleas and remain in custody. They are next scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on Nov. 4.

Stow was released from San Francisco General Hospital earlier this month and transferred to a private rehabilitation facility.

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