The St. Louis Cardinals could have some serious issues if the following allegations are proven to be true against their ace Carlos Martinez. The starting pitcher has been named in a lawsuit that claims he was part of a group that beat a man back in 2014, outside of a strip club in East St. Louis.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Andrew D. D’Angelo filed the lawsuit that alleges he was drinking at a bar on July 4, 2014, when he had a verbal fight with a group of men that included Martinez. Then, things quickly escalated outside of a strip club. The suit states D’Angelo got jumped by that same group of men, while he specifically names Martinez as the one who punched him in the face.
Via the Belleville News-Democrat:
The suit filed by plaintiff Andrew D. D’Angelo alleges that he was drinking at a bar in St. Louis on July 4, 2014, when he had a verbal confrontation with a group of men, including St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez and late Cardinals player Oscar Taveras.
The lawsuit states that D’Angelo left the bar after the fight and went to Diamond Cabaret, a strip club near East St. Louis. It was known as Penthouse Club at the time.
Martinez and his group eventually showed up at the same strip club, the suit alleges, unbeknownst to D’Angelo. D’Angelo alleges he walked out the club and over to a food stand in the parking lot when the group followed him outside. At that point, according to the suit, they “jumped” D’Angelo, knocking him to the ground and beating him.
According to the report, D’Angelo suffered a broken back and the incident resulted in nearly $100,000 in medical bills. D’Angelo’s lawyer, John Eccher, wrote the following about Martinez in an email to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Eccher said it’s unfortunate that Martinez, “a role model to our children both in St. Louis and worldwide, made the decision to participate in this planned attack rather than taking any step to prevent it.”
The lawsuit also accuses the strip club for negligence and liability.
According to the suit, the club failed to provide proper security near the food stand despite prior acts of violence that had occurred there. The club did not call the police until “well after” the attack had ended, the suit alleges.
Martinez isn’t the only Cardinals player involved in the lawsuit, as Oscar Taveras was part of the group of men who allegedly attacked D’Angelo as well. Taveras died on Oct. 26, 2014, in car accident in the Dominican Republic.
Pretty messy situation here for Martinez and the Cardinals.
