Bonetti v. Double Play Tavern

In Bonetti v. Double Play Tavern (1954) 126 Cal.App.2d Supp. 848, the court upheld liability of the Double Play Tavern where the left fielder of a sponsored semiprofessional baseball team, angered at dropping a pop fly, threw the ball out of the field where it hit plaintiff on the head. There, the bar operator selected the manager of the team, furnished uniforms and equipment, and deducted the cost on income tax returns as business expense; however, the players were not otherwise compensated for playing on the team and in no real sense did an employer-employee relationship exist, nevertheless, it was the activity (sponsoring of the team) that led to the injury.