NEWSLETTER
Yesterday, there was supposed to be a hearing in the Dominican Republic on the sexual assault claims against Carlos Marmol, which Marmol was going to attend, and which was potentially going to dispose of a case in which the local authorities found no cause to pursue criminal charges. Marmol had also filed a countersuit alleging blackmail and extorsion.
But that hearing didn’t really happen, and, instead, it appears that the case is being kicked upstairs to a higher, appellate court for some kind of decision. It’s tough to glean from the Spanish-language reports from the DR (examples here and here, in case anyone wants to offer a better translation than Google Translate), in part because the legal system is different there, but it seems like some of the preliminary issues in the case are being appealed to a higher court, and the ultimate decision in Marmol’s case is being held up by those issue appeals. Caveat: that’s coming from someone who doesn’t speak Spanish, hasn’t practiced law in a couple years, and has never practiced law outside of the United States.
The reports don’t mention a time line for the higher court to hear the case/the issues, so it’s unclear when this will be resolved. It still looks like it isn’t a criminal matter, however, and Marmol’s agent told the Tribune that Marmol fully expects to be on his Sunday flight bound for Phoenix.
So long as his arrival to Spring Training isn’t delayed, I don’t really see any significant risk here to Marmol’s performance in 2013, or, let’s be honest, his trade value. If it is akin to a civil matter, even if Marmol loses his case – and, so far, every statement from the Cubs, from Marmol’s attorney, from Marmol’s agent, and from folks in the community, seem to indicate this is not a legitimate claim – it seems unlikely he would have to leave the United States immediately. Theo Epstein said earlier this week that he expects Marmol will ultimately be cleared of any wrongdoing.
We’ll keep a close eye on this – and especially on whether Marmol arrives on time tomorrow – but I remain cautiously optimistic that this will be resolved without a negative impact to the Cubs. It’s possible it will be resolved quietly and privately before too much more of the case proceeds forward.
If Marmol does arrive on time tomorrow, we’ll soon learn a whole lot more about the case, including the current procedural timeline.
