Yankees Stadium Awarded SAFETY Act Designation

Last month, Yankee Stadium became the first sports facility to earn the federal SAFETY Act designation, meaning that the facility has passed a set of tests and won approval from the Department of Homeland Security, giving the sports franchise broad immunity against lawsuits stemming from a terrorist attack on the stadium, according an article from NBC News.

The National Football League was also placed on this list in 2008, but that designation only applies to the Super Bowl, according to experts in the article.

The NBC article states that two security companies are used by Yankee Stadium – Securitas, which handles the armed and unarmed in-game security as well as for concerts and other non-game events, and Guardsmark, which handles 24-hour and off-season stadium security.

Supporters of the SAFETY (Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies) Act argue that it gives strong incentives for security companies to step up their standards. However, those who oppose the act contend it takes away a basic right of consumers, making people less safe and serving as an under-the-radar version of tort reform, according to the NBC article. Those opponents also say that the act might give companies a reason to slack off because there is no penalty if the product or service they offer does not perform as advertised when a terrorist attack takes place.

The Act also bans punitive damages on interest accumulation related to any potential judgment. Victims also cannot sue for negligence, the article says.