Cubs Dropped From Lawsuit Filed By Man Blinded By Ball At Wrigley

CHICAGO, IL — The Cubs are no longer named on a lawsuit filed by a Schaumburg man who went blind in his left eye after he was struck by a line-drive foul ball at Wrigley Field. The man's law firm said he was sitting close to the field during the Cubs' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 29 of 2017. According to several reports, Major League Baseball remains a defendant on the lawsuit.

The complaint was filed in October of 2017 in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of John Loos, 60. Loos' attorney will have another chance to make the case that the Cubs should be named on the suit. He said the team has not extended safety netting at Wrigley, despite the risk to fans.

An Illinois law — dubbed the "baseball rule" — protects stadium owners from lawsuits as long as an adequate amount of netting is placed in stadiums to protect fans.

Loos said his eye is severely damaged and that he has undergone three surgeries, according to ABC 7. He said five bones in his face were shattered by the ball.

"I had no idea that you were subjected to such missiles,"Loos told ABC 7. "You could be there with a mitt and you wouldn't have been able to react in time."

In September of last year, a foul ball hit a two-year-old girl in the face at Yankee Stadium in New York, prompting public pressure on many stadiums to extend their netting. The girl's family said she suffered facial fractures, a broken nose, and extreme swelling. In response, MLB Commissioner Rob Malfred said he would look into requiring extended netting at all ballparks; however no mandate has been issued yet.

Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP