Brian Harkins' Defamation Lawsuit Against Angels, MLB Dismissed by Judge

A judge with the Orange County Superior Court dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former Los Angeles Angels clubhouse manager Brian Harkins, according to the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher.

Harkins filed suit against the Angels and MLB in August, saying he had been defamed in the wake of his firing in March.

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Torres reported March 5 the Angels moved on from Harkins for "allegedly furnishing illegal substances to put on baseballs." The team declined to disclose the reason for his ouster.

One day later, Torres and Mike DiGiovanna reported Harkins would sell "Go Go Juice," which was a combination of rosin and pine tar, to help pitchers get a better grip on the baseball. MLB officials reached out to the Angels about the allegations but didn't direct the organization to terminate his employment.

Reporting on the lawsuit, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez provided part of the case made by Harkins' attorneys, Daniel Rasmussen and Matthew Brown:

"The complaint states that an All-Star Angels pitcher who moved to the Detroit Tigers in 2005 originally taught Harkins to mix rosin, pine tar and Mota stick, a stiffer pine tar, to help the pitcher grip the baseball. Though the complaint doesn't specifically name the player, it is believed to be Troy Percival, a former All-Star pitcher for the Angels who later signed with the Tigers before the 2005 season.

"Word spread about the concoction through the unnamed player, and Harkins began providing it for other pitchers 'as a courtesy,' the complaint states, adding that it 'was not a money-making venture' and that 'many people within the Angels organization' knew about it."

On Jan. 7, Gonzalez reported a text message from New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to Harkins had been submitted as evidence. Cole told Harkins he was "wondering if you could help me out with this sticky situation."

Harkins also named a number of prominent pitchers including Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander who had requested his unique substance.

The judge determined Harkins lacked evidence showing the claims made privately by Angels officials to justify his firing were untrue. In addition, the case didn't rise to defamation because nobody from the team used their name on the record to speak at length about the situation.