Ed Hickox, a Major League Baseball veteran umpire, is suing Wilson Sporting Goods over his umpire mask.  On April 18, 2009 a foul tip struck him hard in the mask, causing a concussion and left ear injury.  He had to sit out the rest of the season, and is now suing Wilson and its parent company.  He claims that Wilson manufactured a faulty mask that “cracked into pieces upon impact and didn’t protect an umpire in the way it is reportedly designed to do.”

However, this is not the first time Hickox is suing Wilson.  Two years ago, he sued and won $775,000 from a similar foul ball incident.  Interestingly, no other suits against manufactures from umpires are known.  Hickox is also suing for mental anguish as he has had several surgeries and ongoing medical expenses.  His wife is also a plaintiff as she has been forced to care and assist her husband in excess of normal amounts.  The amount the two plaintiffs are seeking is undisclosed.  This definitely seems to be an interesting case considering the history of the plaintiff and the difficult task the lawyers have in proving that Wilson was extremely negligent in order to win punitive damages on top of actual damages.