On October 12th, 2020, San Diego Padres outfielder, Tommy Pham, was stabbed in the back during an incident outside a San Diego establishment. The altercation occurred when Pham asked two people, who were arguing next to his vehicle, to move. According to reports, there was no organ damage, however his injuries did require surgery and stitches to treat his 12″x5″ wound.
There have been no arrests in the stabbing, but Pham is pursuing a lawsuit against the establishment for negligence as well as negligent hiring and supervision along with the unknown people from the fight for battery.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a lawsuit was filed on November 24th, against Pacers Showgirls International, the establishment where the stabbing incident occurred. In his lawsuit, it is alleged that he suffered “catastrophic injuries, which have and will continue to cause substantial economic damages, including but not limited to his earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player.
TMZ reports that the fight outside Pacers left Pham “trapped” inside the club. The lawsuit alleges that the private security, hired by the club, “escalated the risk” posed to Pham “by participating in the fight and antagonizing” the fight participants. It also alleges that club employees did not contact law enforcement “or take any reasonable measures to mitigate” the dangers. Due to unspecified “incidents of violence by third parties” that had occurred at the club in the past, the lawsuit alleges Pacers should have been aware of the possibility of a similar incident and taken the necessary measures to prevent it.
December 2nd was the non-tender deadline, which is the deadline for teams to offer eligible players a contract for the upcoming season. Although a tendered contract was offered to Pham, who is projected to earn approximately $8 million through arbitration next year, any doubts about his ability to be healthy and perform might lead to a decrease in salary upon negotiations for the 2021 season.