Overview
- The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court seeks $10 million and says a flying bat struck 37-year-old Stephanie Duluc in the head while she sat behind home plate on June 2, 2026, causing a traumatic brain injury and other lasting harm.
- YES Network broadcast footage and multiple accounts show the bat cleared the protective netting and knocked Duluc from her seat, a detail the complaint cites as core evidence.
- The complaint alleges the netting in Duluc’s fourth-row section was materially lower than adjacent sections, leaving an open gap through which the bat passed and naming the Yankees, Promats Athletics and parent Sportsfield Specialties as defendants.
- Plaintiff’s attorney says Duluc still suffers headaches, light sensitivity and balance problems and that a brief July TV appearance does not show full recovery; the Yankees have not issued a substantive public response.
- Legal analysts say the case will likely hinge on the century-old Baseball Rule, which shields teams from many game-related injuries unless a stadium fails to provide adequate protective screening behind home plate, a standard that led MLB clubs to expand netting in recent years.