St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez has been named in a lawsuit due to an alleged violent incident that took place nearly four years ago.
According to a report by Kaley Johnson of the Belleville News-Democrat on Friday, the two-time All-Star is facing allegations that he was part of a group that jumped a man outside of a strip club in July 2014. The plaintiff Andrew D. D’Angelo claims that he was drinking at a St. Louis bar when he got into a verbal altercation with a group of men that included Martinez and the late Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, who died in a car accident later that year.
D’Angelo also alleges he left the bar after the confrontation and proceeded to The Diamond Cabaret, a strip club near East St. Louis. Martinez’s group later showed up to the same club, unbeknownst to D’Angelo, and followed him out to a food stand in the parking lot where they knocked him to the ground and beat him, according to the suit. Martinez, who went 12-11 with a 3.64 ERA in 2017, is specifically accused of punching D’Angelo in the head and face.
D’Angelo’s attorney claims that his client suffered “a broken back and nearly $100,000 in medical bills, with further surgical procedures being needed” as a result of the alleged attack.
For what it’s worth, Martinez’s agent had this response to the allegations soon after news of the lawsuit broke, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
Carlos Martinez's agent, in response to these allegations: "The allegations in the article are false, and we have not seen any complaint. Carlos will address it once we have more information." https://t.co/wP4JC8xMh7
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) February 2, 2018
As for the 26-year-old Martinez himself, this is not the first time that he has caused a distraction off the field for the Cardinals.
H/T CBS St. Louis
