Angels Settle Lawsuit Filed by Former Prospect

The Angels have settled a lawsuit with a former prospect who charged the team with failing to fulfill its contractual obligation to provide quality medical care.

Mike Parker, the attorney for shortstop Tim Harkrider, said Tuesday the two sides concluded a settlement agreement last week. Parker said a confidentiality agreement precluded him from discussing terms of the agreement. Thomas A. Connop, an attorney representing the Angels, declined to comment.

Harkrider alleged the Angels had provided inferior medical treatment, preventing him from recovering from an ankle injury and advancing to the major leagues. The Angels denied the charges.

Harkrider sought as much as $17 million in damages under the apparently unprecedented claim that he would have played in the majors for 10 years and should be compensated accordingly. Legal experts doubted Harkrider, who never advanced past double-A, could convince a jury to award that much in damages, but a trial could have raised significant legal issues about how much responsibility a team assumes for the medical care of its players.