Quote:
Originally Posted by billymac
let’s say that the home player’s extremely long and sharp brightly painted fake fingernails (i’ve observed longer but i have never observed sharper, like daggers) had failed to be observed in the pregame layup lines by my umpire partner (as did happen) and another player got their eye badly scratched in the game.
Question #1: could my umpire partner be held civilly liable for negligence?
Question #2: could i, as the referee (the guy in charge of safety), be held civilly liable for negligence?
Once i stopped the game and broached the issue with the player and the coach, if i had allowed the coach to talk me out of sitting her, could i have been held civilly liable for gross negligence if another player got their eye badly scratched in the game.
Question #3: would my iaabo liability insurance cover me for negligence or gross negligence?
My house and car are both fully paid for and i would hate to lose them.
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Alan Goldberger (All IAABO Members should know who Alan is.), who has written many articles of Referee about officiating liability always tells officials/umpires who are considering ignoring Safety Rules to ask this simple question: "Do you want your family to live in a mobile home for the next 40 years?" With that question in mind the answer to Bill's three questions are:
Question #1: NO!!
Question #2: NO!!
Question #3: NO!!
Let me reduce Questions #1, #2, and #3 to one simple one simple statement: The entire officiating/umpiring crew is liable for the negligence of one member of the crew. In Basketball if the R refuses to enforce a Safety Rule, the rest of the crew either uses peer pressure to make the R enforce the Safety Rue and if the R refuses, the rest of the crew must refuse to officiate and file a Game Report with their StateHSAA.
And yes I did walk away from a game and filed a Game Report with the OhioHSAA: I assigned to officiate a boys' H.S. soccer game (I know, my dirty officiating secret.) as a Linesman (before they were called Assistant Referees) in a Three-Person crew. At the Pre-Game Captain's Meeting both Captains were wearing bracelets and necklaces which were very visible as well as many other Players from both Teams. When the R failed to mention the jewelry I mentioned it and the R told me that he was not going to enforce the anti-Jewelry Rule and he would not discuss the matter further and the other Linesman agree with him. I told them both that either the Jewelry Rule was enforced or they would officiate the game without me. Guess what: I walked off of the field. I filed my Game Report and received my game fee check in the mail a week later.
MTD, Sr.