Trial begins in man's lawsuit claiming Royals mascot Slugger injured him with a hot dog

UPDATE | Jury: Slugger not guilty in hot dog case

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - A lawsuit that pits a fan against the Royals - and their mascot - moves from the stadium to the courtroom this week.

Opening statements began Tuesday in Jackson County Court.

John Coomer claims he was sitting in the stands in September 2009 when the team's mascot, Slugger (officially known as Sluggerrr), used an air gun to shoot hotdogs to fans.

Slugger put down the gun and began throwing hotdogs into the stands by hand, the lawsuit claims. One of the hotdogs hit Coomer in his left eye .

Coomer claims in his lawsuit the hotdog incident left him with a detached retina and he developed a cataract.

The lawsuit claims the team was negligent.

Coomer seeks more than $25,000 in damages.

A lawsuit filed against the Royals and their vending services was thrown out last year before it went to trial. In it, an Overland Park man claimed he was injured by a food cart.