Lawyers argue over blame in Giants fan beating

A wheelchair bound Bryan Stow, assisted by a caregiver, is surrounded by family and media as he is led into the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, as the trial goes into the last day before closing arguments for the trial of Stow's lawsuit against former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and three team entities he created. The suit filed on behalf of the San Francisco Giants fan alleges the franchise was negligent for not having enough security to prevent an Opening Day 2011 attack by Dodger fans that left him with permanent brain damage. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Al Seib) MANDATORY CREDIT A wheelchair bound Bryan Stow, assisted by a caregiver, is surrounded by family and media as he is led into the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, as the trial goes into the last day before closing arguments for the trial of Stow's lawsuit against former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and three team entities he created. The suit filed on behalf of the San Francisco Giants fan alleges the franchise was negligent for not having enough security to prevent an Opening Day 2011 attack by Dodger fans that left him with permanent brain damage. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Al Seib) MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press June 26, 2014 2 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A lawyer for a San Francisco Giants fan who suffered brain damage in a beating at Dodger Stadium told a jury Thursday that the Los Angeles team failed its responsibility to keep fans safe.

Tom Girardi, an attorney for plaintiff Bryan Stow, made the claim in his closing argument at the negligence lawsuit against the Dodgers and former owner Frank McCourt.

“Dodger Stadium got to a place where it was total mess,” Girardi said. “There was a culture of violence. Beer sales were off the charts.”

The case was expected to be placed in hands of jurors for deliberations later in the day, following closing arguments by the defense.

During the testimony phase of the trial, plaintiff’s lawyers called a parade of witnesses in a campaign to prove there wasn’t sufficient security when the California rivals played on opening day in 2011.