Albert Pujols is being sued for 7.5M dollars in a federal lawsuit filed last week in St. Louis.
Before we go any further, please note that there are 2 men involved in this story with very similar names: Wilfrido Juan Pujols (Wilfrido with an ‘I’, more comonly known as ‘Wil’) and Wilfredo Pujols Jr (Wilfredo with an ‘E’). Both are cousins of former Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.
Fair warning, this isn’t a fun story. At all.
I wasn’t familiar with any of this until today. Below is infotmation about what went/is going down and most certinaly isn’t the normal lighthearted fare that is usually posted here. I figured you might of heard about this lawsuit and wanted to know what was going on.
Ok…
On NOV 9, 2007, Wilfredo was driving a car that struck and killed a 17-year-old high school student. Wilfrido (who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005) was a passenger in that car. In APR of 2009 Wilfredo was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Here’s how Wilfrido described the incident to The Desert Sun:
While at work, Wil received a frantic telephone call from his brother Wilfredo’s wife. She was terrified as Wilfredo, who was under the influence of drugs, was driving recklessly.
Wil found his brother’s family, gave his sister-in-law the keys to his car so she could drive home. Wil then got into the car with his brother who was visibly upset.
“He was behind the wheel, not acting normal. He was on drugs and we ended up getting into a car accident,” Wil said.
Wilfredo had side-swiped a car that was turning left. After assessing the damage, Wil’s brother, knowing he would be arrested if the police showed up, decided to get back into the car. At this point, Wil had a decision to make.
“I grew up with him, I love him. He took care of me when I was a kid. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. I thought I could stop him.”
Wil got back into the vehicle, too. A few minutes later, a police chase ensued as Wilfredo took off down a highway and then turned off onto side streets.
“He was jumping hills, driving through sidewalks. I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I thought I was going to die that night. I thought we both were going to die. One second later, all I hear is a loud boom. I looked back through the back windshield, and the next thing I saw was a kid on a bike in the air. I didn’t want to believe what we just did.”
Wilfredo had struck Christopher Cooper, a 17-year-old high school student. Cooper was killed.
Wilfredo kept driving, not looking back. They eventually hit a tree. That’s when the two brothers took off on foot.
“There was barbed wire, a lot of trees, it got to the point where I looked over to my brother and just said, ‘Do you really want to keep running?’ Stop! I can’t do it anymore.”
They then laid down and waited for the police to find them. Wilfredo went to jail and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Wilfrido had been cut by the Cardinals in 2006 after a separate incident in which he pled guilty to a second-degree destruction of property charge.
In recent years, Wilfrido has attempted a comeback to baseball. A comeback that he claims has been hampered by a note sent by Albert Pujols’ wife, Deidre.
From the STL Business Journal:
The lawsuit said Cooper’s mother in December 2007 wrote an email to Albert describing the “murder” of her son by Wilfrido and Wilfredo, and that Albert’s wife, Deidre Pujols, responded with a note saying how “heinous” Wilfrido’s and Wilfredo’s actions were and how they “ruined many lives.”
Cooper’s mother, Cheryl Cooper, in November 2014 posted Diedre’s note on Facebook, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said Diedre’s note has impaired Wilfrido’s ability to play baseball; he was drafted by the Cardinals in 2005, has worked on and off as a professional hitting instructor since 2007, and in January 2008 was scheduled to try out for the Chicago White Sox, according to the lawsuit.
“… the injuries (caused by Albert, Diedre and the Pujols Family Foundation)impaired (Wilfrido’s) ability to stay on the baseball field to successfully sign a contract,” the lawsuit said.
During a recent telephone conversation, Albert stood by Deidre’s note, the lawsuit said. “(Wilfrido) received numerous ‘mafia style’ threats from (Albert),” the lawsuit said. It alleges defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeks damages of no less than $7.5 million.
Albert Pujols has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Photo: Cardinals Winter League
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