$150,000 Settlement for Man Attacked While Coaching Youth Football

Heavens Law recently represented a man who was attacked following an on-field altercation during a youth football game. Our client, Lamar Shaw, was punched in the face by the opposing team’s football coach, Lawrence P. Simpson

Simpson, 41, of Claymont, Delaware, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to two years of probation and community service, and must pay restitution of nearly $150,000.

The felony charge of aggravated assault and another count of reckless endangerment were dropped as part of the negotiated plea.

Setting a Better Example for Youth Sports

Our client’s medical bills totaled approximately $150,000 and included the cost of repairing a broken jaw. According to Mr. Shaw, “My intentions started off as wanting to coach football. I never wanted to see anybody in any type of conflict. It’s just not who I am.”

He’s disappointed the incident set a bad example for the dozens of children who witnessed it and is hopeful the legal proceedings would illustrate the lessons he tries to teach the players, including being responsible and accountable for your own actions.

Simpson will serve two years of “intermediate punishment,” a type of probation that subjects defendants to strict guidelines and conditions. This includes three months of electronic home monitoring and the mandatory completion of an anger management program. Simpson will also participate in 32 hours of mandatory community service and pay the portion of Mr. Shaw’s medical bills not covered by insurance.

League Should Be Held Accountable, Too

Our firm is assessing the liability policy of the youth football team and hopes to have the Claymont Falcons’ insurance company pay the medical bills. It was discovered during our investigation that Simpson had a criminal record and if there’d been a standard background check the conviction would have barred him from participating in a youth sports league. We believe that constitutes negligence and as such, the league should be responsible for the costs of Mr. Shaw’s care.

Injuries in youth sports that are not an inherent risk of the sports activity may be legally actionable. In this case, the coach had no reason to believe there was risk for injury from an assault.

Since the opposing youth sports organization had liability insurance and the assailant was not subjected to a standard background check, we had a case against the opposing organization. We helped our client settle out of court for a substantial six-figure amount.

If you or a loved one has been injured during involvement in youth sports, especially if it was in an incident in which you had to reasonable expectation of injury, we can help. To learn more or to discuss your case, contact Heavens Law at 888.897.5377 to schedule a free consultation.