I am a GWA, aka bouncer, at Buckhead. On Friday night a drunk person intentionally grabbed a beer bottle and struck my forehead with it. His actions then led to a fight breaking out between the crowd and the guy with the beer bottle. I broke the fight up and took the asshole outside so he could be arrested. The intoxicated assaulter was charged with assault with a deadly weapon; my question is can/should I sue the guy. To knock out a few replies early, yes he does have money b/c he was a business owner doing some promotional work that night., so if I could go after him he would be able to pay

1/28/2008 8:02:03 PM

I don't see why not.

1/28/2008 8:05:59 PM

This is America

1/28/2008 8:06:45 PM

Don't be one of those people. You're alive. I'd sue if there were medical expenses however or it cost me time from work.

1/28/2008 8:07:19 PM

but people need to know they can't get away w/ bs like this. If you have money, connections, or a lawyer with connections you can get out of anything and people know this. So if the guy is just going to buy his way out I would think I should be entitled to some of hat buyout. also, if you guys think it is worth pursuing, any recommendations on a good personal injury lawyer?

[Edited on January 28, 2008 at 8:10 PM. Reason : q]

1/28/2008 8:09:15 PM

It depends on you actually. I was raised not to just sue people because you can. That's what is wrong with this country. Now if you follow his case and see that he gets out of it with nothing then it's up to you. If you have medical bills of any kind then you could sue him but I would only sue him for your medical costs and the cost of your lawyer but nothing else. Punitive damages are for lazy pussies.

1/28/2008 8:13:03 PM

fuck that. take him to the cleaners.

S. Anthony Turner
(919)821-5910 (office)
(919)815-6760 (mobile)

1/28/2008 8:19:37 PM

Quote :

"fuck that. take him to the cleaners."

1/28/2008 8:20:58 PM

haha, you're not gonna take anyone to the cleaners over something like this

1/28/2008 8:23:00 PM

I would definitely consult a lawyer at the very least. Yeah the dude got arrested and everything, but honestly you prob deserve some sort of compensation for his actions. Of course, I was security at Buckhead for a few months too and may be biased. If you hurt him throwing him out of the bar, then he could sue both you and the establishment, which is BS. So I see no reason why you would not have the same rights - esp. considering assault with a deadly weapon.



DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!! DATES, TIMES, COSTS, WITNESSES, EVERYTHING

[Edited on January 28, 2008 at 8:36 PM. Reason : a]

1/28/2008 8:33:54 PM

3 votes for cleaners.

1/28/2008 8:34:09 PM

Quote :

"fuck that. take him to the cleaners."

1/28/2008 11:05:32 PM

Assult has a criminal penalty. You'll have to prove actual financial damages to get anything from a civil suit. You'd have to get a real asshold judge who will just let you sue for getting your feelings hurt.

1/28/2008 11:19:43 PM

and then show his defense attorney this thread so they know why you're really sueing.

1/28/2008 11:28:32 PM

Being a bouncer, that may be expected in your line of work.

I'm not saying that he should not be criminally prosecuted for assault, but I am saying that you may have assumed the risk by accepting this type of work and may not have any civil redress.

1/28/2008 11:47:14 PM

negro please.

he got hit in the head with a damned bottle.

he has every right to at least get his meds payed for.

1/28/2008 11:48:43 PM

Why did he hit you? Were you trying to remove him when he did it?

1/28/2008 11:57:07 PM

i am thinking that his employer should pay for his medical expenses. it's a work related injury.

1/28/2008 11:57:11 PM

the clubs insurance should pay for his medical needs and they would be the appropriate party to sue for medical expenses and time

1/28/2008 11:57:48 PM

Quote :

"but people need to know they can't get away w/ bs like this."

I really don't care what you do. But don't try and insult everyone's intelligence with this statement. What effect on "people" as a whole will you have? Virtually none. Maybe a select few will hear about your lawsuit through the grapevine, but as a widespread "people"..... you will have no effect on the general populus as a whole. People will continue to drink and do stupid things regardless of the outcome of your lawsuit. If you want to make a buck courtesy of the system, be my guest, but your not going to change anything.

1/29/2008 12:08:41 AM

Quote :

"What effect on "people" as a whole will you have? Virtually none."

So are you arguing that the threat of potentially expensive litigation doesn't alter the behavior of the public?

That may be true, but I would probably find it easier to believe that the opposite was true. It's hard for a day to pass without someone complaining about lawsuits. I would wager that it affects everyone, even the unemployed welfare recipients that sit at home and watch Judge Judy and her ilk every day.

Furthermore, it's just this type of litigation that affects how businesses operate everywhere.

[Edited on January 29, 2008 at 12:21 AM. Reason : asdf]

1/29/2008 12:20:56 AM

Chris, I'm sending you a PM about this. I also think that fellow TWW'ers should read the following:

While I COMPLETELY agree that people need to understand good and dern well they can't just go around busting people upside the head with a glass bottle, this thread and a fruitless lawsuit that will get tied up in court for AGES won't accomplish that goal.

The guy who hit you most likely received a ticket for assault and will thus be appearing in court - he will be fined as there is a police report on the incident and he will have criminal charges on his record. Let that teach him a lesson - it's damning enough.

Also, please don't assume since he was a vendor that he has money. MANY business owners are in BIG debt in a high-overhead industry like sporting good retail.

1/29/2008 12:28:53 AM

if I were in Marketing or PR for the establishment in question I would definitely try to squash this as well

in fact it does appear that ^ doesn't have any idea who it is since she named his industry specifically

if you fall for this you are an idiot

1/29/2008 12:32:18 AM

Assault with a deadly weapon is a felony and not something you can just buy your way out of. It carries serious jailtime as it is a step below attempted murder.

1/29/2008 12:44:42 AM

James Scott Farrin will getcho money

1/29/2008 12:49:31 AM

^^haha, try again homie...

my guess is 30 days suspended and 3 years probation

[Edited on January 29, 2008 at 12:53 AM. Reason : ^]

1/29/2008 12:53:02 AM

i'd say go for it by any/all means if you were just a normal patron, but you were working a job where you know full well that physical altercations or worse are entirely possible. this is really no different than any other job related injury someone might sustain.

if anything, a workers comp or some other claim with your employer is the way to go. assuming it's accepted, you'll probably only be compensated for medical expenses and any lost wages you might incur for recovery time, doctor appointments, etc.

1/29/2008 12:53:39 AM

I was wrong. AWADW is a class A1 misdemeanor punishable with no more than 150 days.

1/29/2008 1:00:01 AM

What is a GWA?

1/29/2008 1:02:44 AM

damn

1/29/2008 1:44:00 AM

I guess you have to do some soul searching. No one on TWW can answer this question for you.

If you are trying to save the world by making him pay and deterring others from doing this, you might want to get a reality check. People who are shithouse drunk are not gonna think back to your legal case when instigating a bar brawl in the future.

If you are motivated by greed then go ahead and sue, you will probably at least get a settlement.

Also, see Lisa's post......business owner =/= rich.

1/29/2008 1:54:56 AM

Quote :

"but people need to know they can't get away w/ bs like this. If you have money, connections, or a lawyer with connections you can get out of anything and people know this. people will go after you with frivilous lawsuits."

Nice try asshole. You wouldn't think about suing him if he were poor, but because he's got money you are gonna try to shake him down. If the glass bottle story isn't sensational enough, you can always claim that he raped you.

Wow, rich people can afford better lawyers? OMG life isn't fair! Don't try to rationalize your greed with some tired class-warfare cliches.

1/29/2008 2:19:13 AM

too bad you were working and couldn't have just busted his face in

i wouldn't feel bad about that...i would, at best, have reservations about sueing him.

i think it's a shame that you get in big trouble nowadays for roughing up assholes who deserve it. i'd way rather handle it that way than fuck them over legally over anything that wasn't really serious

[Edited on January 29, 2008 at 2:24 AM. Reason : ^ agree...if I did talk myself into sueing him, it wouldn't be because he's rich]

1/29/2008 2:23:36 AM

Quote :

"Being a bouncer, that may be expected in your line of work."

Unless you sustained serious injuries, I'd lay off. He will probably have a better attorney than you, and they'll do all they can to make this a point, saying that you're drawn to start fights because... It's hard to win a case about incidents within a bar unless they involve serious injuries, i.e. rape, fire, murder, etc. The first issue is proving that your witnesses are reliable: they're in a bar, late at night, etc.

Just posing another opinion. Good luck whatever you decide to do. I was a doorman for a while - I grew to hate belligerent drunks, with or without money.

1/29/2008 2:26:28 AM

I'm not saying you shouldn't go after the guy financially--that's your call. But I can tell you this: No man find's redress for this type of grievance in a court of law.

1/29/2008 2:30:01 AM

"juiceyman" eh? I knew all those assholes had to be on 'roids up there.

As to your topic, won't you have to prove some sort of damages to be awarded any money? If you have no medical costs what did he hurt? your feelings? Grow Up, be the better man and move on.

[Edited on January 29, 2008 at 6:15 AM. Reason : ]

1/29/2008 6:14:45 AM

i'd be willing to bet there's more to this story than some guy randomly picking up a bottle and hitting a bouncer in the head.

1/29/2008 9:55:44 AM

Doesn't have to be... I had a guy swinging a cue ball at me before, but he was more so just trying to hit anyone who came near him.

1/29/2008 9:58:11 AM

if you really wanted to make a difference, take him to court and instead of money, just say i want to break a glass bottle over his head. more people would hear about it even if you didn't win, and if it worked, think about the change you would make.

eye for an eye son. that shit is way underrated.

1/29/2008 9:59:47 AM

unless you racked up some nasty medical bills only PUSSIES sue or file a police report over a confrontation at the bar

1/29/2008 10:18:27 AM

yeah, but what if that PUSSY gets $100,000

what then?

maybe he wasn't a PUSSY, as much as he was SMART

i can deal with some internet douches name calling if I can get $100,000, in the end

1/29/2008 10:19:39 AM

I would sue him. Fuck him. Its not like you are talking about a subjective, superficial action here...HE HIT YOU IN THE HEAD WITH A BOTTLE. Since you cant get back at him with your fists, its basically your only recourse for satisfaction.

1/29/2008 10:45:07 AM

who hit you?

1/29/2008 11:09:21 AM

bouncer power, dont take no guff. i was a bouncer back in the day for like 5 years, now im a cop. rock on

1/29/2008 11:10:18 AM

^ exactly. I would say eye for an eye would be a better situation, but the legal system isn't set up that way. Suing is the closest you can get to throwing a punch.

1/29/2008 11:10:30 AM

Quote :

"yes he does have money b/c he was a business owner doing some promotional work that night., so if I could go after him he would be able to pay"

i still find it hard to believe that a guy trying to promote his business would, unprovoked, hit a bouncer in an establishment that was allowing him to peddle his product/service.

Quote :

"bouncer power, dont take no guff"

i'll bet that very sentiment had something to do with starting the whole situation in the first place.


[Edited on January 29, 2008 at 11:12 AM. Reason : .]

1/29/2008 11:10:47 AM

Post his myspace, facebook, etc.

1/29/2008 12:35:37 PM

isn't this part of the danger of being a bouncer? if you end up taking this guy to court, couldn't they argue that you take that risk just by showing up to work every day.

i really think that if he will get out of the other charges, he'll definitely get out of this as well. he has the $$ to pay for the really really good lawyers - and what if you don't win and you have to pay your lawyers lots of $$ for nothing?

1/29/2008 1:00:44 PM

^Doesn't matter that he takes "the risk" as part of his job (that's not a valid excuse for your client to strike someone with a bottle). The person that strikes someone with a bottle is at fault (they broke the law). So he could sue and win, but he's not going to get much if there wasn't actual damage or medical bills as a result and it will be a drawn out hassle which wouldn't even begin until he got convicted.

1/29/2008 1:07:29 PM

set em up

1/29/2008 1:07:56 PM