Date set for completion of discovery in Leigh Castergine lawsuit

On Friday in Brooklyn, Mets lawyers and those for former SVP Leigh Castergine met with Judge William F. Kuntz to set a date for the completion of the discovery phase in the lawsuit that was filed in September by Castergine against Jeff Wilpon and the club.

On October 31, lawyers for Wilpon and the Mets denied any wrongdoing.

During Friday’s conference, Castergine’s counsel asked for a March 1, 2015 deadline for the completion of factual discovery, Mets attorneys countered with October 1, and Jude Kuntz granted the Mets’ request.

Prior to the decision regarding discovery, Castergine’s counsel didn’t provide any information regarding any settlement talks with the Mets.

Additionally, the lawyers for Castergine left open the possibility that more parties could be added to the lawsuit. However, they didn’t specify whether those potential parties would be defendants, or plaintiffs who are added on to corroborate Castergine’s claims of discrimination.

Regarding the length of each deposition with key parties, Castergine’s counsel asked for and was granted a 14-hour window that would take place over two days to depose Jeff Wilpon and others.

The next hearing is scheduled to take place on January 23.

Barring a settlement before then, Friday’s decisions set up a trial that would likely not get going until early-2016.

Thoughts:

The fact that Major League Baseball – including outgoing Commissioner Bud Selig – are so far letting this play out in the courts has led to the lawsuit being swept under the rug a bit.

Granted, Jeff Wilpon only stands accused as of now. However, the allegations against Wilpon are both serious and specific, and an internal investigation by Major League Baseball wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary.

For now, the lawsuit will continue to play out in the courts, while the Mets and Wilpon continue to operate as if nothing is happening.