A Big League Attorney Is Lined Up by Little League

National Little League administrators turned to a high-powered Beverly Hills attorney Wednesday in anticipation of Woodland Hills Sunrise Little League seeking a federal court hearing to gain eligibility for Junior Garcia.

Allan Wilion, who Tuesday reached a settlement representing Toluca Lake Little League in a case against Little League Headquarters, pored through stacks of documents Wednesday pertaining to the residency of Junior and his father, Juan Garcia.

Woodland Hills has said it will seek a court order to allow Junior, 12, to play in today’s rematch against Thousand Oaks in the double-elimination sectional tournament.

Woodland Hills won its third elimination game since losing to Thousand Oaks in the first round, defeating Hanford, 5-2, Wednesday in Lompoc.

Junior and another player, Garrett Feig, were disqualified from tournament play after Encino Little League protested that neither player established proper residency within the Woodland Hills boundaries.

“What happened here is that parents and adults have used children,” Wilion said. “And when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they are saying, ‘How dare you hurt this child.’

“But the issue is that the child shouldn’t have been used by adults in the first place.”

Don Roberts, an attorney with the Calabasas firm of Murphy and Gold that is representing Woodland Hills, believes Juan Garcia established legal residency in Woodland Hills before Junior was registered in the league.

Roberts says he has a document to prove it: a lease work sheet of Juan Garcia’s promising to occupy the apartment and pay rent dated two days before Junior registered to play in Woodland Hills.

“Is this document legally sufficient to constitute intent to establish residency at the time of its execution?,” Roberts said.

“That’s the only real issue. The document speaks for itself.”

Wilion, however, believes a federal judge must consider more than the date the Garcias moved into the apartment.

“Whether this kid should or should not play raises all sorts of moral and legal issues,” he said. “If this kid is permitted to play, what effect does it have on Little League on the national level?”

Discussion was tabled between Roberts and Encino Little League Coach Rob Glushon, himself an attorney, on the possibility of Encino withdrawing its protest in exchange for an admission of guilt by Woodland Hills.

Wilion said Little League Headquarters probably would not reinstate Garcia or Feig simply because Encino dropped its protest.