Full-House Illusion Cost her, Woman Says

(CN) - A Cleveland concertgoer said she fell twice at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as ushers shuttled her around in total darkness to fill up prime seats at an induction ceremony concert.

Jennifer Kowza and her husband Robert sued the museum and the city of Cleveland in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

The Kowzas say they were in their assigned seats about 20 minutes before the 8 p.m. start of a 2009 concert celebrating the Hall of Fame inductions of artists Metallica, Run-DMC, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.

But concert ushers approached the Kowzas 10 minutes before the start of the show and directed them to move from forward from their assigned seats, according to the complaint.

About 15 minutes later, the Kowzas had to move again because the guests who had originally reserved those seats had arrived. But 10 minutes after ushers moved the Kowzas to a second set of unoccupied seats, another pair of latecomers forced them to move once again.

"In order to return to her original seat, Plaintiff was required to negotiate a set of step in total darkness, tripped and missed a step and rolled her ankle, causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. "Plaintiff then hobbled to the nearest exit. Upon exiting through the door, plaintiff slipped and fell on a large pool of liquid recklessly created or permitted to remain by defendants ... striking her head on the floor, causing injury."

The Kowzas say the defendants created the problem by trying to make the crowd seem fuller for the taping of the concert, which was broadcast nationally on the Fuse network.

Previous Hall of Fame acts to play at Public Hall in decades past include the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The April 4, 2009, concert also marked the induction of Jeff Beck, Bobby Womack, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana, Spooner Oldham and Wanda Jackson.

The Kowzas seek $25,000 for negligence and loss of consortium.

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