Lawsuit against Angels thrown out

The Angels did not discriminate against men by providing free tote bags to women in a Mother’s Day promotion, a judge ruled Thursday.

After he threw out the lawsuit, Orange County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Cannon threatened to penalize attorney Alfred Rava for “intentionally misleading the court” about previous cases in which he had represented Michael Cohn, the Los Angeles psychologist who sued the Angels.

Cohn claimed the giveaway in 2005 violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act and argued the Angels should be liable for $4,000 in damages, payable to each man who attended the game. Cannon said the state’s Unruh Act is intended “to eliminate antisocial discriminatory practices, not to eliminate socially beneficial ones.”

Said Cannon: “The reason behind the promotion was to promote Mother’s Day, not to discriminate against men.”

Said Angels attorney Bill Custer: “You can quibble about whether we should have sent somebody up to pinch-hit, but not about this.” Bill Shearer, another Angels attorney, said he expected Rava to appeal.

Rava declined to comment.

Cannon warned Rava he could face sanctions for failing to disclose he’d represented Cohn in similar suits within the last five years. Cannon said he had discovered three such instances “in the last six to eight months.”

Such sanctions could include a reprimand, fine or an order to pay the Angels’ legal bills, said Sheldon Eisenberg, a Santa Monica lawyer not involved in the case. Those bills could top $100,000, according to a source familiar with the case.

The bags in question cost $1.45 each, according to documents filed by the Angels.

Rava has cited the Unruh Act in filing more than 40 suits, challenging among others the San Diego Padres for staging a women-only baseball clinic and Southland bars for “Ladies’ Night” discounts.

The Angels distributed tote bags on Mother’s Day last year but offered them to the first 25,000 fans, regardless of gender.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com