Maris Cleared in Bar Brawl

Apr. 7, 1965 - Roger Maris hit back today. He says he will file a civil suit totaling $310,000, charging male model Jerry Modzelewski with malicious prosecution. Modzelewski had his turn at bat against Maris in Fort Lauderdale Municipal court today. Jerry struck out.

After a two-hour, 43-minute trial, Judge Arnold Grevior noted “not guilty because there’s more than a reasonable doubt in my mind.” Modzelewski alleged that Maris was one of two men to beat him up outside of Nick’s Cocktail Lounge in Fort Lauderdale shortly before midnight Thursday.

“I still have the second game of the doubleheader to win,” Modzelewski said, referring to his charge against Yankee third baseman Clete Boyer. That trial is scheduled for May 11, and Boyer has already pleaded innocent.

Maris, after sitting out today’s game with the Braves, said in the Yankee clubhouse, “Yeah, I’m going to go back after the guy. My lawyer will hand the civil suit in. The move is being on the advice of me.”

Bill Leonard, Maris’s attorney, said: “It’s to teach these guys that these people in high places have ways of defending themselves.”

Maris called his trial “interesting.” He contributed much of the interest, testifying as the final witness. “It was my decision to testify, which I made as the trial went along,” Maris reported. “We were doing all right, but I didn’t like the way the testimony was coming out.”

On the witness stand, Maris said he had been talking to Joe DiMaggio at Nick’s. “Modzelewski was talking to Boyer at the table,” Maris said, “and I could see Clete getting a little mad. So I got between Clete and this guy, and the next thing I knew somebody bumped me from behind and shoved me through the door. I tried to stop what was happening.”

“I never swung,” Maris continued. “After Mr. so-and-so threw seven or eight body punches, I pulled him off Modzelewski. Then I went inside.”

Defense witnesses Robert Burns and Paul Glafenhein substantiated Maris. Sitting at the bar yards away, they said they heard no obscene language and saw no punches by Maris. Burns did offer some damaging testimony — but not to Maris.

“I was outside trying to quiet Cletis,” Burns said. “That’s when the bang happened.”“What bang?” he was asked.

“Boyer hit him,” said Burns.

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