Oklahoma Ballplayer Loses Injury Case Against Bat Maker

A federal appeals court has ruled that a high school baseball pitcher in Oklahoma who was seriously injured when a line drive smashed into his face is not entitled to recover nearly $1 million from the company that manufactured the aluminum baseball bat.

A three-judge panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a lower court’s ruling that set aside the jury verdict.

Baseball player Dillon Yeaman and his family sued the company that manufactured the Louisville Slugger Exogrid bat after court records show he suffered numerous broken bones in his face following the 2006 incident.

A federal jury awarded Yeaman nearly $1 million, but a judge set aside that award, ruling there was no evidence the bat was defectively designed.