Jackie Robinson West Could Regain 2014 Championship: Court

CHICAGO — The parents of the 13 players on the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team — the South Side of Chicago squad that received national acclaim for their run to become Little League's United States World Series champions only to be stripped of their title months later due to accusations they used players from outside their geographical boundary — can once again seek legal action in an attempt to have the team's championship reinstated.

This comes after an appellate court in Cook County overruled a lower court's decision that dismissed their lawsuit, which names Little League Baseball, the Jackie Robinson West Little League, two JRW employees, the Evergreen Park Athletic Association and its vice president who first brought the allegations against JRW to the forefront as well as ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith.

Attorneys for the parents have said in their lawsuit that none of the defendants "took any steps to inform Jackie Robinson West parents and players of the team’s eligibility problems." The Little League boundary in question has since been disbanded.

While the appellate court agreed with the lower court in dismissing a number of counts brought on by the parents, they held that legal action could proceed on four counts, including an allegation of breach of implied contract and promissory estoppel.

The recent court opinion holds "that reinstatement of the championship title remains a viable remedy." Analysis from the decision indicates that Little League's burden to prove that the plaintiffs lacked standing in its argument to reinstate the title had not been met.

"The players suffered a distinct injury in fact by the stripping of their hard-won championship title, which would be redressed by reinstating the championship title," the court said. "The allegations thus were sufficient to establish appropriate standing for plaintiffs to raise the claim."