Daniel Franco has sued Roc Nation Sports over brain injuries he suffered in 2018, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
Franco filed suit Tuesday in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, seeking unspecified damages, claiming that Roc Nation Sports was negligent for booking him in three fights in 79 days despite knowing he was not physically fit to compete in that many bouts in such a short period.
“The actions of Defendants were an extreme departure from what a reasonably careful person or corporation would do in the same situation to prevent harm to its boxers,” said the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. “Roc Nation and other Defendants recklessly disregarded the health and safety of Franco.”
“Representatives from Roc Nation stated that Franco must go forward with the fight and stated that if Franco pulled out of the fight, Franco would have difficulty securing future fights,” the lawsuit said.
“Less than one month later on June 10, 2017, Roc Nation demanded that Franco fight hard-punching boxer Jose Haro in Sloan, Iowa. … Roc Nation knew, or should have known, that Franco was not in any condition to fight Haro given that this would be the third fight in 79 days,” the lawsuit said. “Roc Nation knew, or should have known, that fighting Haro on June 10, 2017 put Franco at a high risk of harm and danger given the Martin knockout and the high number of fights. Defendants acted wrongfully and negligently when they scheduled and promoted the June 10, 2017 fight so soon after the other two fights, including the Martin knockout. Defendants also did not adequately ensure that Franco received appropriate medical clearance prior to scheduling the June 10, 2017 fight.”
The suit alleges that Franco’s two skull fractures and brain bleed “likely occurred in the two fights before the June 10, 2017 fight. Had an MRI or brain imaging been performed, the fractures and hemorrhage would have been discovered prior to the June 10, 2017 fight, necessitating a cancellation of the June 17, 2017 fight.”
The suit continued, “As a result of the traumatic brain injury, Franco still suffers from devastating neurological and cognitive deficits, including difficulty with speech, motor function, ambulation and balance problems, numbness and weakness throughout the entire right side of Franco’s body, and inability to perform activities of daily living.”
Attorney Dan Hodes, who is representing Franco, told ESPN that he would let a jury decide the damages at trial.
“Daniel’s life as he knew it has been taken from him. Is that life valued at $10 million? Or $50 million? We’ll let our jury decide that,” Hodes said.