Coletti v. Florida High School Athletic Association, Inc.
Florida Circuit Court
23 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 38a (2015)
- Written by Steven Pacht, JD
Facts
Nova High School played St. Thomas High School in a Florida High School Athletic Association, Inc. (association) (defendant) regional semifinal baseball game. St. Thomas was ahead after six innings, but Nova took the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, heavy rain arrived before St. Thomas got the chance to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning, leading the umpires to terminate play after determining the field to be unplayable. The umpires declared St. Thomas to have won the game pursuant to association rule 4-2-3, which states that if a game is terminated after at least five completed innings when the teams have not had an equal number of completed turns at bat, the score reverts to what it was at the end of the last completed inning. Vincent Coletti (plaintiff), a Nova team member and leader sued the association, alleging that the umpires erred in applying rule 4-2-3 instead of its rule 4-2-4, which stated that a game terminated early due to weather or other conditions in which a winner cannot be determined should be considered to be a suspended game. Coletti sought an injunction ordering the association to schedule a resumption of the game. Coletti did not ask the association to review the umpires’ decision before filing suit; however, the association might not have provided any relief if he had made such a request in light of its rule stating that umpire decisions were final and protests were not allowed. The association moved to dismiss the complaint, arguing that Coletti lacked standing and failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and that the umpires were correct in applying rule 4-2-3.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Bowman, J.)
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