A Florida appeals court Friday said a medical-malpractice lawsuit stemming from the death of a Minnesota Twins baseball prospect should move forward without going to arbitration.
A three-judge panel of the 6th District Court of Appeal overturned a Lee County circuit judge’s decision that the case was subject to arbitration.
The estate of baseball player Ryan Costello filed the lawsuit against physician David Olson after Costello was found dead in November 2019 in a hotel room in New Zealand, where the Twins had sent the player to participate in a developmental league.
Olson, a sports-medicine physician, examined Costello for the Twins earlier in 2019 and cleared him to play, according to Friday’s ruling.
Read: Baseball Legend Steve Garvey Announces U.S. Senate Campaign In California
But the lawsuit alleges an electrocardiogram showed cardiac abnormalities that should have been further evaluated.
An autopsy after Costello’s death found that the cardiac abnormalities were consistent with a condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, according to Friday’s ruling.
Olson filed a motion to stay the lawsuit and go to arbitration.
The motion pointed to Costello’s minor-league player contract, which was linked to a major-league agreement that included an arbitration provision.
But Friday’s ruling, written by Judge Joshua Mize and joined by Chief Judge Dan Traver and Judge Carrie Ann Wozniak, said the arbitration provision did not apply to the dispute about Costello’s death.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help. Visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.