After five weeks in trial Bryan Stow s civil case is nearing an end. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for NBC4 News from downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, June 25, 2014.
Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan who was attacked outside of Dodger Stadium in March 2011, was in court Wednesday during the last day of testimony in his case against the organization for allegedly providing the lax security conditions that led to his assault.
Stow was last in court during the opening phase of the trial when jurors were selected earlier this month. He was in a wheelchair and joined by a caretaker, family members and his children.
Stow's parents arrived with him to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
"We're not going to be able to take care of Bryan much longer," said mother Ann Stow. "It's very important that he be taken care of."
After his attack in a Dodger Stadium parking lot during opening day three years ago, Stow was left with permanent brain damage. His attorneys have estimated his lifetime care and lost wages could amount to upwards of $35 million.
- Timeline: Investigation in Bryan Stow Case
"All the credible evidence says Bryan did nothing whatsoever inappropriate to bring this on," said Stow's attorney, Tom Girardi.
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Louis Sanchez and Brian Norwood, both of Rialto, plead guilty in Stow’s criminal trial for felony charges brought against them for attacking Stow. They were sentenced in February to eight and four years in prison, respectively.
The civil suit filed against the Dodgers alleges the team were criminally negligent because they provided insufficient security inside and around the ballpark during the game, including in parking lot 2, where Stow was assaulted.
The Dodgers have contended that the team provided adequate security for the game and have instead shifted blame for the attack on the two people convicted in the beating, as well as Stow himself.
Defense attorneys have said Stow behaved in a way that antagonized his attackers and that Stow’s drinking during the night may have been a factor in the assault. A doctor who oversaw lab tests the night Stow was admitted to the hospital, testified that he had a blood-alcohol level between 0.139 percent and 0.157 percent, up to nearly twice the legal limit.
Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt testified earlier this month that he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of running the stadium's security. McCourt also reiterated that it was the assailants and not the Dodgers who were ultimately at fault.
A rehabilitation specialist testified during the trial that Bryan Stow will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life.
"I try to stay optimistic," said father David Stow. "You just pray that the jury is seeing it the way we see it."
Closing statements in the case are planned for Thursday.
