Baseball Fan Sues, Says Call of Nature Trumped 'God Bless America'
A baseball fan who says he was ejected from a New York Yankees game after answering the call of nature rather than staying in his seat for the singing of “God Bless America” has sued over the alleged violation of his First Amendment rights.
Bradford Campeau-Laurion contends that he was the victim of political and religious discrimination in a lawsuit he filed today against the team, the New York City police department, which the team pays to provide security, and several individual officers, according to Bloomberg.
He is being represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union in the Manhattan federal court filing.
“New York’s finest have no business arresting someone for trying to go to the bathroom at a politically incorrect moment,” says Donna Lieberman of the New York state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union in a press release.
However, police contend that Campeau-Laurion was ejected last summer from the old Yankee Stadium because of disorderly conduct.
Additional coverage:
CBS (2008): “Fan Ejected From Yankee Stadium For Bathroom Break”
