What responsibility does an athlete like Tiger Woods have for what happens around him during a selfie? In the next few weeks a Florida court will have to decide. This is claimed by a fan of the golfer, Brian Borruso , with his caddy, Joe LaCava , as the main accused.

It all happened during the last day of the Valspar Gold Tournament in March 2018. Borruso was on the green of the 13th hole when a shot from Woods landed nearby and, as he approached, the fan decided to take a picture of him. He didn't stop him, he didn't even come close, he just took a selfie with Woods in the background. But then supposedly something happened. According to Borruso's version, the golfer's caddy, LaCava faced him and pushed him away with a "deliberate push" that caused unspecified "physical and mental damage". In the lawsuit, he claims that these damages have caused him a "loss of the ability to earn an income" and for this reason he claims LaCava and Woods a non-specific amount between 30,000 and 100 million dollars.

The lawsuit against LaCava for the assault makes sense, but why against Woods? The photograph shows how the golfer did not even know he was being photographed and in the lawsuit it is confirmed that he did not participate in the action, but he is also found guilty by the regulations of the United States Golf Federation (USGA) . According to rule 10.3 of this regulation "a player is responsible for the actions of his caddy during a round and while the game is stopped".

For this reason Borruso asks for an amount of money that is supposed to be high because, before his claim reached the court, there was already mediation between the parties and an agreement was not reached. Considering that Woods's estate amounts to about $ 800 million, it is understood that, if there was no pact, it was because the fan's claim was exaggerated.

In any case, it remains to be seen what the defense argument of Woods' lawyers and his caddy will be. The golfer could choose an individual defense, denying his responsibility for the actions of his caddy, or he could join LaCava and deny what happened. Given that the actions took place two years ago, Borruso will find it difficult to find witnesses and the evidence that his lawyers have publicly shown is not very consistent. At the moment, only two videos have appeared: one in which a viewer assures that there was a push and another in which LaCava calmly claims space for Woods from the fans.

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