iter, Jose Narosky said,
"Losing hope can hurt, but hopelessness can kill you."
Hello and welcome.
It's true, isn't it?
Let's see how this quote relates to today's first case.
Please bring out the litigants.
All my dreams were destroyed when I came to this country.
Doing the right thing can hurt sometimes,
but it's always what's best.
Good afternoon.
-Good afternoon. -Good afternoon.
Adelay, you're suing Cesar.
Tell me who he is, why you're suing him
and what you demand in order to settle this case.
This man here is supposed to be a sports businessman.
I'm suing him for $100,000 for professional negligence
and for having ruined my boyfriend's athletic career.
Okay, $100,000?
Yes.
Tell me the facts.
My boyfriend, Javier Gonzalez, was a pitcher for Cienfuegos.
They reached the championship game twice, in 2012 and 2013.
-In Cuba? -Yes.
After the Series was over, we went to Trinidad on vacation.
That's when we met Mr. Cesar.
He approached us, because he knew about Javier's talent.
He approached me and told me
that if I placed my boyfriend's athletic career in his hands,
he'd make him a star.
I believed him.
Mr. Cesar gave us $5,000 so we could go to Baracoa.
When we arrived at Baracoa, there was a man waiting for us.
He was going to take us out of the country through Haiti.
Once we got to Haiti,
there were people waiting for us with guns.
We were scared, but he'd set everything up.
In Haiti, a man drove us to Dominican Republic.
There, we met up with Mr. Cesar.
Cesar took us to a house, a supposed training camp,
where he'd train Javier.
That was a lie.
That was a house packed with people, all athletes.
He set us up in a room where we could barely sleep.
It was extremely uncomfortable.
However, we'd do anything just so Javier could have a future.
So the plan was to train him in this supposed camp
in the hopes of him getting signed
by a Major League team here in the US?
He got Javier a coach.
He made him train day and night.
Javier barely slept.
This went on for a year and a half.
Was this coach a professional?
-He was. -I never met him.
The very best in the Dominican Republican.
-You never met him? -No.
They left in the morning and came back late.
Javier barely slept.
Javier started complaining about pain.
His whole body was aching. He was a mess.
He didn't rest or sleep.
On the day of the tryout,
people saw what Javier could do,
so they decided to make him an initial offer,
a Major League contract.
We arrived at the US and stayed at a friend of Javier's place.
They let us stay there for a few days
until the contract was signed.
He signed the contract on a Friday.
We had a party. We took pictures.
He stayed with us the entire time.
It's how a person who's just signed a contract
with lots of zeroes looks.
We were happy. Heaven was within our grasp.
We had hopes of buying a house, cars,
of helping our family in Cuba.
Well, all the things you hope for
when you're in that situation.
First, however, Javier had to pass a physical.
After Javier took those tests, he came to the house
and told me contract had been voided.
I asked what'd happened.
He told me they'd found an injury in his shoulder,
in his trapezius, and they voided the contract.
I couldn't believe it.
The contract was canceled over an injury,
but is it a permanent injury?
He can have surgery, but it costs $100,000.
That's why I'm suing him for that much.
Okay, my question is this.
Had he suffered that injury in Cuba?
No, he never had any pain in Cuba.
He never complained.
He began to complain in Dominican Republic,
after the harsh training he'd been put through.
Different training.
He'd never complained in Cuba.
He started complaining after he'd trained a long time
in Dominican Republic.
How long was he in training?
A year and a half.
It was a year and a half of work.
I took care of all the costs.
Yes, but you knew you'd make money.
So did you.
You're demanding $100,000, for the surgery that Javier needs.
We had to leave his friend's house.
We had to start working. Javier's cleaning cars.
I'm caring for a lady in order to survive here.
As you know...
You have to work here.
I looked for him, because he disappeared.
I need him to pay for that surgery.
You allege that injury was the result of his training.
And the coach he hired.
I don't know what kind of coach he is.
He couldn't rest. He was always training.
This coach has been certified to do this.
I have another question.
Did you take him to the doctor in Dominican Republic?
No.
Did he have x-rays or other tests done to figure things out?
He would only train.
Train, train, train.
-Exactly. -Understood.
Well?
I honestly don't feel guilty
about what happened to Mr. Javier.
I did everything I promised.
I provided transportation, accommodations, food,
and training.
I even got him a contract.
How long have you been going to Cuba to find Cuban athletes?
It's been seven years.
I've seen a lot of cases and he's not the only one.
The performance demands in Cuba are different
from the performance demands over here.
This is the Major Leagues we're talking about.
Are you saying that Cuban ball players
don't live up to the standards...?
The training is different.
It's different.
The training is more rigorous.
Who's this coach who's training these players?
He's a coach from Dominican Republic.
This man has been training pitchers from Cuba, Venezuela,
and Dominican Republic for a long time.
It's not the first time we see a player who's injured
his trapezius due to so many throws.
It's not the first time they've injured someone.
It was a possibility that rigorous training
would lead to a trapezius injury.
Yes, but who can assure me he wasn't already injured in Cuba?
Well, as a talent scout, it'd be convenient for you
to be familiar with the players' medical history
in order to prevent this?
In the end, this affects you too.
Yes.
We'll take a short break and keep dis
I was saying that this is human trafficking
to a certain degree, right?
I'm not holding a gun to anyone.
The point here is the training camp.
Is it up to standard?
Don't you think you're hurting the ball players?
Maybe you don't have the right professionals working there.
Maybe you don't have the people who know how long to train for,
the methods, and styles.
Maybe you're not providing the appropriate medical treatment.
You say he had that injury in Cuba, but you have no proof.
He never complained in Cuba.
Why don't you have them tested before bringing them to the US?
It's almost like self-sabotage.
You brought a contracted athlete
and you didn't have him tested, which is why...
Remember, they leave the country in a bit of a hurry.
When he was tested, it was found he had an old injury.
From when?
From years ago.
Please let me finish.
The injury worsened because the training is more demanding,
just like the Major Leagues here.
He received poor training.
It's not poor training. It's more demanding.
Okay.
How old is he?
He's 22, ma'am.
-He's young! -Yes, ma'am.
He still has a bright future ahead of him.
Who has witnesses?
I have two witnesses.
Let's bring out the plaintiff's witnesses.
There are currently contracted players that go through this.
They get injured. They get surgery.
They recover. They play again.
I mean...
Yes, but they're a part of a team.
He was in the process of joining a team.
-It's different. -Keep your promise.
-Good afternoon. -Good afternoon.
-Your name? -Anyer.
-You? -Javier.
You're Javier.
Alright, Anyer.
I'm here because my case is similar to theirs.
I belonged to the national Guantanamo team in Cuba.
I met Mr. Cesar too.
He promised me the world.
He said I'd play in the Major Leagues here.
He took me to Dominican Republic.
I went through Haiti as well
and ended up in Dominican Republic.
I went to that concentration camp too.
I'd call it that way because it wasn't a training camp.
I spent 15 days training without even getting rest.
We'd sleep about four hours.
It's a different kind of training.
When Major League scouts came to see me,
I was useless.
I was a mess.
You didn't meet the requirements.
Did you get tested in Cuba?
Did they test you to see your physical condition,
the state of your shoulders, etc?
Do you have a medical record?
Yes, we do.
But you don't have that or you can't get them?
No.
What can we do?
-You pay. -Not going to happen.
Tell me something.
The person who trained you, who was he?
Did you think this person knew what they were doing
or did you think he was unqualified to train you?
He was doing a good job,
but he was wearing us out with the training.
It was excessive.
Yes.
What would happen if you complained?
He'd say that that was Major League training.
He said we needed training.
-That's what he said? -Yes.
He's a conman.
He's taking a lot of risks based on the possibility
that you'll manage to land a multi-million dollar contract
and he'll make a lot of money too.
You're all taking a risk.
You're desperately trying to leave Cuba...
I see your points of view.
I want to get to the root of the problem.
Ma'am, I really don't know...
How can we correct this problem?
If the problem is that the training is so excessive
that it's hurting you, then we need to shut this camp down.
We need to shut the camp down! It's not doing it's job.
-No one was forced to do this. -I know that.
What's that in your hand, Javier?
This is evidence that I can't go back to Cuba.
Oh, well. How would you go back?
If this had happened in Cuba, it would've been reparable.
How so?
Well, the surgery and recovery wouldn't have been so expensive.
I would've liked to stay in Cuba a while longer
so I could make a name for myself.
Why'd you leave then?
He sold us a dream.
I made you a proposal.
Sadly, he didn't meet the requirements.
You lied to us.
I don't know what you would've done in Cuba.
How much did you earn in Cuba for being a baseball player?
We got paid about...
Excuse me! Silence.
-How much? -109 Cuban pesos.
How much is that in dollars?
Four dollars.
Okay, let's bring in Dr. Misael Gonzalez
and Mr. Gilberto Dihigo, who's a sports commentator
and the son of a great Cuban baseball player,
a Cuban star of American baseball.
Good afternoon and welcome.
Good afternoon.
Can you differentiate between a recent injury and an old one?
Yes, we can.
When the injury occurred.
When you perform an MRI or a CT scan,
you can see if it's an old injury or not.
Old injuries have fibrosis and scar tissue,
which you can see with medical imaging.
The issue is that he said it's an old injury,
but he has no proof.
No, no one's seen anything.
I didn't either.
Something did catch my attention in this case.
I've heard about cases...
Take Jose Fernandez, for instance.
He suffered an injury while playing for the Marlins.
He couldn't play for over six months,
but the team was responsible for his surgery, his treatment,
and his recovery.
I don't understand why anyone would go to another country
to train and not have basic insurance.
He would've been covered in this case.
That really baffles me.
If I'm taking an athlete to a training camp,
I should at least offer the athlete some basic insurance.
This will guarantee treatment even if they can't play.
Exactly.
Can you tell me what's going on?
Sadly, this isn't the first time this has happened.
Currently, there are more than 200 Cuban baseball players
in Dominican Republic.
They arrive to the country thanks to these sponsors.
They are people who take advantage of the dreams
and the ignorance of Cubans who don't know their rights.
I lived in Dominican Republic and I know how these camps work.
The Major Leagues has 30 training academies.
Their training is challenging.
However, they do offer medical care
and the training is broken down.
They don't train for a year in a half.
It's not true that the training there is more difficult.
The intensity of the training is increased
as the time to compete draws near.
Right.
Once you're signed, you get a bonus.
You have to play in the minor leagues.
That's where you work for your spot in the Major Leagues.
Since the famous Gourriel case, which everyone knows about,
the situation has gotten worse
because the Dominican police is involved.
Now the Dominican government is taking action
against these Cubans who arrive from Haiti.
Before that, Dominican Republic was like heaven on Earth.
They could even make it to the US.
They're smuggled... This is human trafficking.
There's no way around it.
They're not offering to make their dreams come true.
If you're being moved by boat, that's human trafficking.
If they're caught, they're in trouble with Cuban authorities.
Gilberto, but I understand that American scouts are going
to Cuba to find players.
Is that true or not?
It is, but it's a farce.
Article Five of the Cuban Constitution
states that the Cuban government has the final say
in every decision.
The Major Leagues don't negotiate
with the sporting authority.
They negotiate with the Cuban authorities.
Even though athletes are playing professional baseball,
like the Gourriels, who played in Japan,
the athletes are still leaving.
It's easier to find someone, not necessarily him,
but other people who fill your head with ideas.
No one forced anyone.
I know this show is watched in Cuba.
I don't know how common it is or if they'll see it in time,
but a word of caution, you can see what's going on
and what happens.
Don't fall for it.
Don't fall prey to these human traffickers
who prey on your dreams.
Regarding this particular case
and based on the evidence that's been presented,
I think you should pay for his surgery.
You've already invested a lot of money.
Invest a little more.
Who knows if you'll make even more money?
I grant you your claim.
It's final. Case closed!
We'll take a break and be back quickly.
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