Portage Little League sued over disbanding

Portage attorney Ken Elwood grew up playing in the Portage Little League and so did his three sons.

Over the years while his sons played, Elwood serve as a board member, team manager and allstar team coach. His own father served as a manager and coach when he played as well.

The 60-year-old league had 700 kids in it at one point, Elwood said, but the board voted to disband the league earlier this month. It’s now merging with the league in South Haven.

“When they posted on Facebook that they were failing, that was the first anyone knew about it,” he said, adding he received dozens of messages and texts from former players, coaches and managers. “Everybody was really upset.”

On Feb. 19, Elwood filed a suit in Porter Superior Court against Portage Little League; Rich Arndt, the District 1 administrator; and Little League Baseball Inc.

The suit is filed on behalf of Christopher Leitz and Sammie Maletta, who paid for their children to play in the 2020 season, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league, according to the suit, said it has a no-refund policy but offered families a 50% discount for the 2021 season, which has now been canceled as well since

the league folded.

The lawsuit seeks treble damages for that 50% in fees, as well as interest and attorney’s fees and asks for a receiver to be appointed over the Portage Little League fields.

The Portage league, Elwood said, had six fields and room to expand. Under the league’s old charter, those fields would have gone to another nonprofit youth sports organization if the local league disbanded. That charter was changed two years ago so the fields would revert to District 1, he added.

The South Haven League, he said, has three fields. To serve both South Haven and Portage players on those fields will be difficult.

“It’s impossible. The math doesn’t work,” he said.

Additionally, Elwood said the league’s board shut down without reaching out to the community first and added he had 25 volunteers who were willing to keep the league running.

“Rich (Arndt) had an obligation to save it. The mission of Little League is to have youth baseball in as many places as possible,” Elwood said.

Given the recently filed lawsuit, Arndt said he couldn’t comment.

“Unfortunately, with anything to do with the lawsuit and the process with Portage Little League, I can’t comment,” he said. “Anything that happens going forward is in the best interest of the kids and Little League in Northwest Indiana.”