March 4, 2020 Baseball / Class Actions / Fantasy Sports / MLB

Fantasy Baseball Players Sue MLB, Houston Astros, and Boston Red Sox

There has been extensive fallout of the Houston Astros cheating scandal in baseball. From suspensions to fines to taking away draft picks, the MLB has internally disciplined the Astros. However, there has been speculation as to the potential legal consequences of the cheating scandal. On January 23, 2020, one such legal consequence became apparent when five fantasy baseball players filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York against the MLB, the Astros, and the Boston Red Sox. …

January 16, 2020 Baseball / Bountygate / Defamation / Ethics / Fraud / Libel / Litigation / MLB

Signs and Signals and Trashcans, Oh My! Astros Cheating Scheme Exposed

Sports scandals are not a foreign concept to fans, players, coaches, owners, and the like. For example, on March 2, 2012, the NFL announced it had evidence of the New Orleans Saints’ “bounty system that gave cash rewards for knocking [opposing players] out of games” during the 2009-2011 NFL seasons. Somewhat similar, MLB is experiencing something that, while less dangerous, is just as detrimental to the integrity of the sport.

Baseball catchers use signs and signals to determine what type of pitch will be thrown …

April 18, 2019 Baseball / Litigation / MLB

Astros Fan Sues after Injured by T-shirt Cannon

On April 8, 2019, Jennifer Harughty, a lifelong Houston Astros fan, filed a lawsuit against the Astros for an incident that occurred July 8, 2018. On July 8, 2018, Harughty was seated in the stands behind third base with her family, enjoying a game between the Astros and the White Sox.

Suddenly, during a break in play, the Astros’ mascot, Orbit, emerged onto the field with high-powered t-shirt cannon. Orbit then began launching t-shirts, at high speeds, into the stands behind third base. At one …

July 28, 2016 MLB

Corporate Espionage in MLB: Astros Password Hack Results in Prison Time for Ex-Cardinals Director

Christopher Correa, former Cardinals director of baseball development, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of hacking into the computers and emails of Houston Astros employees. In addition to prison time, U.S. District Judge Hughes also ordered him to pay $279,038 in restitution to the Astros.

In January, Mr. Correa admitted that from 2013 to at least 2014 he accessed the Astros database called “Ground Control” and emails to obtain scouting information. The hacks occurred after …

July 27, 2016 MLB

MLB Next at Bat Against Cardinals in Scouting Database Hack

On Monday, July 20, 2016, a Texas federal judge sentenced the former St. Louis Cardinals director of baseball development, Christopher Correa, to 46 months in prison for hacking into the Houston Astros’ player personnel database. The move has been considered a form of espionage, noting the unusual nature of two Major League Baseball clubs being involved in high-tech cheating.

In January 2016, Correa plead guilty to five counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer from 2013 to 2014. Correa was fired, forced to …