A former minor-league batboy has filed a lawsuit accusing longtime major-league shortstop Omar Vizquel of sexual harassment during Vizquel’s tenure as manager of the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The 25-year-old man filed suit Friday in U.S. District Court in Alabama, accusing the 11-time Gold Glove winner of exposing himself multiple times and forcing the man to wash his back in the shower in 2019.
The suit says the man is autistic and accuses the White Sox and Barons of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The defendants had not filed a response to the lawsuit as of Monday, and no attorney for them was listed in federal court records.
The White Sox released the following statement Sunday:
“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 Associated Press does not disclose the names of victims of alleged sexual abuse.
The 54-year-old Vizquel exposed himself to the man “for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification” at least five times while wearing a towel, according to the lawsuit.
On one occasion, a naked Vizquel stepped out of the shower and ordered him to “wash my damn back,” the suit said. The man complied but did not return to work after that.
Vizquel’s wife, Blanca, accused him of domestic abuse in December 2020, describing two alleged acts of physical violence. Vizquel denied the allegations.
Major League Baseball said at the time it was investigating a 2016 incident in which Vizquel was arrested but not charged and an unspecified incident with the Barons.
He was fired July 26 as manager of the Tijuana Bulls in the Mexican Baseball League.
The Alabama lawsuit said other coaches and the man’s supervisors laughed when informed of the alleged behavior toward the batboy.
The man is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, lost pay “and appropriate injunctive and equitable relief to remedy the harm he suffered.”
The suit says the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found in June that the man had been subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination and was constructively discharged, meaning he quit because of a hostile work environment.
Chicago Tribune’s LaMond Pope contributed.
