Embattled baseball player Alex Rodriguez now seeks his lawsuit against Major League Baseball and its commissioner Bud Selig be sent back to state court. For its part, MLB would move to dismiss the case
One day following the initial conference conducted in Manhattan's US District Court, the opposing sides filed their respective position papers Friday explaining the reasons for their intended motions.
According to MLB, the case should be heard in federal court because the law governing the matter, the Labor Management Relations Act requires the case to be heard in that jurisdiction. Lawyers for Alex Rodriguez claims that this is inconsistent with the previous actions conducted by MLB repeatedly, as it went before Florida state court in the case it had filed against Biogenesis of America. The lawyers for Rodriguez accuses MLB of taking 'a 180 degree turn'.
Rodriguez, New York Yankees third baseman, was ordered suspended for 211 games by the league last August for alleged violations of MLB's drug policy under its labor agreement. Rodriguez filed an appeal on the ban and was allowed to play until a decision was made by an arbitrator appointed for the case.
According to the lawyers of Rodriguez, "Defendants have engaged in a systematic effort to destroy Mr. Rodriguez's reputation, including continually leaking false stories to the media about Mr. Rodriguez."
Alex Rodriguez is one of Major League Baseball's highest paid players. Because of the pending case stemming from the Biogenesis scandal, his salary due for 2013, which is a monthly USD9 million would still be due him. What is at risk is the USD31.4 million salary due him for 2014 and later years salaries under the existing ten year contract he had signed with the New York Yankees. Regardless of how the case goes and how his overall health holds up, he would still be due what is owed him under contract, which may reach a total of USD54 million.
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