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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Cleveland Bar Sued Over St. Patrick’s Day Balcony Fall

A Cleveland couple filed a lawsuit against the bar where their 20-year-old daughter fell from a second-story balcony on St. Patrick’s Day, rendering her permanently and totally disabled.

(CN) – A Cleveland couple filed a lawsuit against the bar where their 20-year-old daughter fell from a second-story balcony on St. Patrick’s Day, rendering her permanently and totally disabled.

Brian and Kimberly Keefe sued Warehouse Entertainment Group, which owns Spirits Restaurant and Bar, in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Monday.

Their daughter, Megan, spent part of St. Patrick’s Day this year at Spirits, which opened in 2015.

“While standing next to a railing overlooking the stairway, the railing suddenly gave way, causing Megan to fall to the first floor below,” the Keefes claim.

Megan hit her head on a granite counter, breaking off “a large piece” of it, according to the lawsuit.

“She sustained an obvious critical head injury during the fall, which is permanent and disabling in nature,” her parents allege.

The Keefes also sued Spirits employee Nicholas Urso, who they claim “negligently moved Megan’s head, neck and body from the location where she fell to outside the premises.”

Megan suffered a skull fracture, a subdural hematoma, a fractured vertebra and a fractured eye socket, according to the complaint.

“She underwent neurosurgery that included removing a portion of her skull to reduce intercranial pressure,” the lawsuit states.

In the days after the accident, the Cleveland Fire Department left a violation notice on the door of Spirits, citing obstructed exits, outdated fire extinguishers and unmaintained sprinklers, according to local news reports.

A Yelp page for Spirits indicates the bar is now permanently closed.

Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are George, Samir and Joseph Nakhle; Nakhle Brothers Enterprise; RSN Properties LLC; The Dalad Group; and WD Downtown Ltd.

The Keefes claim the “defendants negligently failed to provide written or verbal warnings of the hazardous, dangerous and/or defective railing.”

They also brought a separate nuisance claim against The Dalad Group and WD Downtown, alleging those entities “negligently constructed, created, maintained and/or allowed” the railing to exist.

According to the Keefes, the fall will “permanently prevent Megan from being able to independently care for herself and/or to perform life-sustaining activities.”

The Keefes seek compensatory and punitive damages, claiming the cost of Megan’s medical care could exceed $11 million.

The family is represented by Cleveland attorneys W. Craig Bashein, Kevin M. Spellacy and John J. Spellacy, and by Stephen Keefe Jr. of Lakewood, Ohio.

George Nakhle, a principal of Warehouse Entertainment Group, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Categories / Personal Injury, Regional

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