ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608260137
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
A youth baseball league violated anti-discrimination laws by refusing to let a boy with cerebral palsy join a team, a federal judge has ruled.
The banning of 11-year-old Geoffrey Shultz violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and two state laws, Judge Consuelo Marshall said in a pretrial ruling. The Aug. 12 ruling means the league that benched Shultz is liable for damages, which will be determined at a trial next month.
Shultz, now 14, was refused a spot in Hemet Youth Baseball three years ago because of insurance concerns. The local league's decision was backed up by its national sanctioning body, PONY Baseball, which said at the time it was worried Geoffrey might hurt himself or others with his crutches and could ``embarrass himself.''
Geoffrey has played the past four seasons with another youth league, discarding one crutch and leaning on the other when he swings.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 27 linesby CNB