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Sleeping fan files $10M lawsuit

MLB, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox

A man has filed a $10 million lawsuit against ESPN and its announcers, among others, for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, contending he was mocked while caught sleeping in his seat during a national telecast at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Robert Rector admits in court documents he "napped" during a Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees game on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an "avalanche of disparaging words" against him. The suit says they used words like "fatty" and "stupid."

Rector says he suffered "substantial injury" to his "character and reputation" and "mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity."

The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court Thursday names ESPN New York, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the Yankees as defendants.

"The comments attributed to ESPN and our announcers were clearly not said in our telecast," an ESPN spokesperson said. "The claims presented here are wholly without merit."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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