Little League Dispute Ends in Settlement : Official Wins Award Against ‘Loud’ Fan

A $1-million lawsuit triggered by an umpire’s call at a Northridge Little League game was settled Thursday for an undisclosed amount, attorneys said.

John J. Harbridge Sr., president of the Northridge American Little League, sued Reseda veterinarian Dennis Morley on Sept. 18 for defamation of character and malicious prosecution stemming from a yelling match that occurred at a game May 20. The lawsuit alleged that the incident and subsequent investigations caused Harbridge “embarrassment, humiliation, mental and emotional distress and injury to his reputation.”

Attorneys refused to comment on the terms of the settlement, but sources said the amount was “not close” to $1 million.

According to Harbridge’s suit, Morley became angry with an umpire’s call during a game between the Expos and the Red Sox in the Senior League. Just as a Red Sox batter got a hit, the umpire called timeout. The hit did not count and Morley, whose 15-year-old son Michael was the Red Sox catcher, “became so hostile, violent and uncontrolled” that he disrupted both that game and games on nearby fields, according to the suit.

The suit accused Morley of using “loud and extreme profane language in front of children as well as giving obscene gestures in front of children.”

When Harbridge, 44, stepped in to quiet the argument between Morley and the umpire, the lawsuit alleged, Morley grew angrier and made “defamatory remarks” about Harbridge. Michael Morley joined in the name-calling and Harbridge reprimanded him, according to the suit.

Morley later claimed to police that Harbridge had assaulted his son during the scolding. Harbridge denied the charge.

Michael Morley was suspended by Harbridge for using foul language and gestures during the incident. Shortly after the suspension, Dennis Morley filed a criminal report and complaint against Harbridge, accusing the Little League president of assault and battery. He also wrote a letter to the Northridge Little League board of directors demanding that they investigate Harbridge, who he described as “sick” and “a man who should not be allowed to work with children in the Little League.”

Although the city attorney’s office never filed charges against Harbridge for lack of evidence, Harbridge filed suit over Morley’s “continued efforts contacting Harbridge’s neighbors and publishing false and defamatory facts about him.”

Morley’s attorneys, however, said that Harbridge, as president of the Little League team, was a public figure who “thrust himself in the center of a public controversy.” Therefore, the attorneys contended, any comments made about him publicly could not be considered defamatory.

The lawsuit stated that by interceding in the argument, Harbridge was “merely exercising his duties as Little League president, to prevent conduct which is contrary to the concerns of the league . . . and to instill qualities of citizenship and sportsmanship in the children participating.”