Baseball: cubs deposit pitchers pay into paper carriers bank account

Former newspaper carrier sued over Cubs' deposits to his account


September 10, 2004, 3:31 PM EDT


MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A messy legal dispute has developed between a former newspaper carrier and Chicago Cubs owner, the Tribune Co., which mistakenly put $301,000 of a former pro baseball player's salary into the carrier's bank account last year.

The case involves two men named Mark Guthrie. One delivered newspapers for The Hartford Courant. The other was a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Tribune owns the newspaper and the team.


Nearly a year after the troubled transaction, $26,000 of the athlete's pay remains in the deliveryman's account, and the Cubs have sued him for the balance.

Gary Weitman, vice president of corporate communications at Tribune Co., said it is company policy not to comment on litigation issues.

The Tribune's corporate headquarters in Chicago deposited the pitcher's pay into the carrier's account last fall and the carrier told The Courant that he waited for team to call him as his bank account ballooned.

The Cubs caught the mistake five weeks after the fact. The last of three payments, totaling $301,102.50, was made to Guthrie's bank account on Oct. 30.

The Cubs had taken out $275,000 when Guthrie had his account frozen. The team sued Guthrie, the paper carrier, in February. Last month, the Cubs filed legal documents offering to drop the lawsuit if Guthrie handed over the rest of the money.

"We have no desire to embarrass Mr. Guthrie or bring undue attention to his actions _ we just want the money back," the company's Hartford-based lawyer Paul Guggina said.

Guthrie, 43, of Chester, said the matter is more complicated than that.

"I need them to open the books to me and show me I don't have any tax liabilities," he said. "It's mind-boggling. They never should have made the mistake to begin with."

Guthrie the pitcher, 38, is now a free agent.

this is kind of humorous, but i don't think the paper carrier has a leg to stand on here. one time someone deposited 20 bucks into my account and i had to give it back he's gonna have to give back the 26 grand. this is why i don't have direct deposit of my paycheck.

Hrmm tax liabilities....

A simple letter from the bank to the tax office would sort that out that the money in his account was a mistake. The guy hasn't a leg to stand on as Aegis says.

Unless he is hanging it out to get interest on the money while it is in his account..

Originally posted by TRD

A simple letter from the bank to the tax office would sort that out that the money in his account was a mistake.

But the government would still likely charge him the taxes, and reimburse him a few months down the road...