A Manhattan jury said no more to the bullies turned loose as bouncers in the bars and clubs of New York City and held the owners of Fubar liable for the injuries suffered by Frank Pilchesky at the hands of the over-aggressive bouncers. Mr. Pilchesky sustained bruises and an injured finger. The jury awarded him $105,200 in damages.
New York, NY June 29, 2005 A man starts to leave a New York City bar and the bouncers shove him and throw him to the ground. Was this just another case of the big and the strong acting as they pleased? In a New York State Supreme Court Case (index number 118563/03), a Manhattan jury said no more to the bullies turned loose as bouncers in the bars and clubs of New York City. The jury found the owners of Fubar liable for the injuries suffered by Frank Pilchesky at the hands of the over-aggressive bouncers. Mr. Pilchesky sustained bruises and an injured finger. The jury awarded him $105,200 in damages.
The attorney for the plaintiff, Carol L. Schlitt, said the jury was right to hold the bar owner responsible. He hired men simply for their size and muscles and then turned them loose on unsuspecting patrons. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
The case stemmed from a May 10, 2003 incident at Fubar on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Mr. Pilchesky and a co-worker entered around 11:30 p.m. After two and a half hours spent with some women they met at the bar, the two decided to leave. When Mr. Pilchesky reached the door, a large man talking to the bouncers blocked his way. Three times he asked the man to move, only to have the man ignore his request. Thats when the bouncers came at Mr. Pilchesky, knocking him to the ground. They then picked him up and threw him onto the pavement, an unnecessarily brutal act that broke Mr. Pilcheskys finger causing permanent damage.
If you have a dispute, you talk to people, explained Attorney Schlitt. These bouncers who never bothered to appear in court skipped the talking and manhandled my client. We held the bar owner responsible. Given the people he hired, the lax screening, the lack of training and supervision, what did the owner expect would happen?
Ms. Pilchesky retained the Law Offices of Edward Vilinsky to represent him in this matter. Mr. Vilinsky brought in Carol L. Schlitt to serve as trial counsel.