Bar Fights and Your Rights

We all go into bars and clubs expecting to have a good time.  We expect that the bar staff and bouncers are trained to keep us safe and to watch out for any signs of trouble.  Unfortunately, many staff members and even bouncers are not trained to properly handle bar fights that happen.  Even worse, some bouncers actually end up hurting members of the general public when they try to break up fights or make things worse when restraining people they think are fighting.  Sometimes these bouncers believe they have a free pass in their job and are able to use any force necessary to restrain people.

Know this: If you are assaulted by another patron in a bar, if a staff member assaults you, or if you are assaulted by a bouncer at a bar, you have rights.

Our law office has handled a number of cases involving bar assaults.  If you are assaulted, make sure to take these steps to protect yourself and your rights.  In investigating your case, we will look to see who the assailants are, we will help you in working with the prosecutors’ office, and we will advise you of your rights as a victim.

To investigate a potential civil case, we will then look to see what relevant statute of limitations applies.  After we have advised you of the parties responsible for your injuries, and your ability to bring a case against them, we will then investigate to see if the bar itself may have had some duty to protect you.  Victims of assaults often find that the assailant does not have the resources to compensate the victim for physical and emotional injuries.

Our firm looks at all potential parties who might be responsible for compensating victims for injuries they suffer, and that includes the bar employees and bar owners themselves.  In the instance where one bar patron attacks another, we will investigate whether there were enough bouncers for the crowd size, if the bouncers or staff were paying appropriate attention to threats, and whether the staff/bouncers allowed the patron to get too intoxicated for his/her own good.

If a bouncer or other staff personnel assaults you, then we will investigate whether the bar has proper training policies in place for handling altercations, whether the bouncer exceeded the force necessary to stop the bar fight, and if the bouncer was negligent or reckless in restraining the individuals involved.

What we commonly find is that victims of assault never go into a bar looking to cause problems.  Instead, because of a lack of proper security, a lack of proper training, or because of aggressive bouncers, people get hurt instead of having a good time.  Our firm works on behalf of victims of assault in all situations, and we will do everything we can to see if you have a case as a result of being assaulted in a bar fight.  Contact us today to see how we can help.