CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel has had a sexual harassment suit filed against him by a former bat boy of the Birmingham Barons, the Class AA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The lawsuit was filed Friday at U.S. District Court in Alabama and alleges that the bat boy, who has autism, was “targeted for sexual harassment because of his disability” while working for the Barons in 2019. Vizquel was the Barons manager at that time.
The lawsuit says that Vizquel repeatedly exposed himself to the bat boy, told him he was sexually interested in men and “forced (him) to wash his back in the shower.”
The White Sox and Barons were also named as defendants.
The White Sox in a statement said: “After first learning of an alleged incident in late August 2019, the Chicago White Sox conducted an internal investigation that resulted in the termination of the organization’s relationship with Omar Vizquel. Because this is active litigation, at this time the White Sox will not comment further regarding the allegations included in this lawsuit.”
The complaint says that on August 22, 2019, Vizquel undressed, went into the shower and ordered the bat boy to wash his back.
The lawsuit claims that the bat boy, now 25, was “humiliated, intimidated, and frightened of what would happen if he disobeyed” and complied with Vizquel’s demand to wash his back. The lawsuit accuses the Sox and Barons of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act and seeks back pay and damages.
The complaint states that as a youth the bat boy was targeted because of his disability. When he was selected to be one of the Barons five bat boys in 2019, he felt like he was part of a team for the first time. The complaint said he considered Vizquel a friend.
Vizquel played for the Indians from 1994 through 2004.
The Athletic, in December of 2020, reported that Vizquel was being investigated by MLB for domestic abuse and the incident regarding the Barons bat boy.
Blanca Vizquel told The Athletic that she had been physically abused by Vizquel. Vizquel and his lawyer denied the charges.
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