Nightclub Update: Lawsuit, More Underage Incidents, and the Law

The two women who were shot outside of Crobar last month are now suing the club for $20 million each, claiming there was inadequate security. Antoinette Bryan and Angelita Dunkley, who still haven't returned to their jobs due to their injuries, told the Daily News there should have been metal detectors at the club.

And as the City Council introduced a plan to require clubs to have more stringent security to cut down on underage drinking, it turns out a 17 year old Queens girl sneaked into to Don Hill's, got wasted, and was later gang-raped in an apartment. Police sources say she "drank heavily and smoked pot" at Don HIll's and was taken out of the club by her attackers, one of whom was apparently an old high school classmate. While Don Hill told the Daily News the underaged are not allowed and that the police hadn't come to investigate yet, a man was stabbed there in early July. We wonder if more clubs are thinking about buying more cameras and better security, even though they might be expensive - better that than have incidents at the club.

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By Jen Chung in News on August 10, 2006 9:51 AM

Comments [rss]

fark

Personal responsibility surrenders!

Pirate D

Arrgh! Damn comments! Arrrrgh...

D

Please understand they don't expect to actually get $20 million from this lawsuit. Damages sought are always set high, and the actual settlement or award amounts are much less. Take legal fees out of what's left, and the payout doesn't seem so extravagant after all. That's the way it works, folks!

DK

Of course $20 million is a lot of money, but please realize they don't expect to actually get that much. Damages sought are always high, and the actual settlement or award is much less. Take legal fees out of that, and what's left may not seem so extravagant. That's the way it works, folks.

Kojak

I agree that they should be compensated, but 20 Million is overboard. They’ve been gotten to by some pretty hideous lawyers that’s for sure.

Depending on how much the injury affects their income earning potential, hospital bills definitely, punitive damages, and perhaps pain and suffering. The court will carve out what they truly deserve, hopefully anyway...

Jack

So if I get shot at McDonalds, I can sue because they didn't provide adequate security? Give me a break. 20 Million dollars. Right. Because thats how much it cost to get shot.

Samantha T

"But I still think they're money hungry..."

Perhaps because their personal injuries prevent them from working? They probably also have tons of hospital bills to pay on their own that weren't covered under our shitty insurance regime. $20 million may sound like a lot, but these women may have physical problems that they will have to contend with the rest of their lives - chances are they were pretty young if they were in a club.

Jen

The women were shot inside Crobar - a guy apparently went nuts and starting firing.

ed_Extinct

I knew someone who was there and they said the shooting happened inside crobar. the music was so loud no one heard the shots fired. when blood started to pool that's when it was realized someone was shot.

just because they "pat" people down does not mean anything. a close-rainge gun like a .22 can easily be mistaken for anything in a pocket, including a pack of smokes, a camera etc. also, patting a person down is a false sense of securiuty.

remember a few years ago when Councilman James Davis was murdered inside city hall? city hall has very sensitive metal detectors, but because the shooter did not go thru it, the murder was able to happen. getting a gun inside a club would be clearly, much easier.

Kojak

Well that settles it.

But I still think they're money hungry...

Michael

First sentence of Daily News article: "shot inside" the club...

Jersey City

I think the high cost of going to Chelsea Clubs and the lines and the drunks, have scared away most of the real dance music people. My friends now don't bother to use legitimate venues for parties because of the cost and hassle, it is much easier to have a psychedelic trance party for example in an underground venue, like an art gallery or warehouse.

MT

Crobar already pats everyone who walks through the door down and goes through their pockets. They seem to be doing pretty well at controlling what goes into that place. It's a club, not an airport.

Jason

So if this girl worked out earlier at a gym does that make the gym responsible for her being raped because it makes her look more attractive?

ugh

this is why i don't go out to clubs in chelsea anymore. every single time there is something awful that happens. last time i was there, some bouncer threatened to kick my ass because i was sitting where his friends wanted to sit. he was screaming at me in my face. and i am a girl! (and no, it was not a "reserved" table.)

don

You get the sense that cool people think laws are "uncool" and therefore don't apply to them. As an uncool person, I resent that. If the drinking age is 21, then Lindsay Lohan can't drink, right? If smoking is banned, then Matt Dillon can't smoke, right? Hmmm.

Oh, and just to be even more cranky old mannish about this: where are the parents?

Kojak

Wait a minute... were they shot OUTSIDE or INSIDE of Crobar?

If it was inside, then I could understand and the club holds some responsibility. How can they be held liable for something that happens outside the club? They can only do so much to protect club goers outside beyond the pat downs and metal detectors. Police should have more security outside of these clubs.