The Los Angeles Angels and Major League Baseball moved Monday to dismiss a lawsuit by former Angels visiting clubhouse attendant Brian “Bubba” Harkins.
Harkins was fired March 5 after an internal investigation confirmed suspicions that he was providing sticky ball-doctoring substances to opposing pitchers. According to the Los Angeles Times, Harkins filed a lawsuit Aug. 28, alleging defamation against the Angels and MLB, saying he “never distributed an illegal substance” and was made a “public scapegoat.”
Dismissal hearings are scheduled for Jan. 21 and Feb. 4.
According to the MLB investigation, Harkins provided pitchers with a substance that consisted of a melted-down pine-tar solution and rosin, a source told ESPN in March. The Angels believe Harkins acted alone, and they did not fire any other clubhouse attendants for this matter.
Harkins joined the Angels as a bat boy in 1981 and returned to the organization as a clubhouse manager in 1986, taking over the visiting clubhouse four years later. He was named visiting clubhouse manager of the year by MLB equipment managers in 2005.
Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez was used in this report.