Kansas Landmark Legal Settlements
Wichita State pitcher settles lawsuit
Wichita State pitcher Ben Christensen settled a 2002 lawsuit with an Evansville player he "beaned" while warming up before a college game. The injured player, Anthony Molina, was standing near the on-deck circle when Christensen hit him with a warm-up pitch before a college game. The ball struck Molina above his left eye, breaking bones and permanently damaging his vision. Molina alleged that Christensen deliberately hit him after being warned about "timing" Christensen's pitches and sued for $2 million. Christensen, who was suspended for the remainder of the 1999 college season, was eventually drafted by the Chicago Cubs.
Kansas lawmaker's apology settles lawsuit
A Kansas abortion supporter and state representative issued an apology and paid undisclosed compensation to settle a lawsuit for attacking and injuring a pro-life protester at a political event. Kansas Rep. Vaughn Flora apologized and paid the settlement to resolve a civil lawsuit filed by Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, the victim in the attack during a 2006 gubernatorial debate. Flora, a Democrat, was convicted of battery and sentenced to a 30-day suspended jail sentence.
High school settles lawsuit over molestation by priest
In 2001, a Hays high school paid $30,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from the molestation of a male student by a Catholic priest. The Rev. Ron S. Gilardi, 54, a Capuchin priest who taught at the Catholic high school from 1988 to 1996, pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent liberties with a child. He was sentenced to 32 months in a treatment facility and five years of probation. In the lawsuit, the family of the student blamed the school for not performing background checks and discovering Gilardi's "pedophilic propensities" before assigning him to teach at the school. The suit also alleged that the school didn't adequately supervise Gilardi and other clerics employed there.
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