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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Male Stripper Killed Dad,|Children Say

AUSTIN (CN) - A male dancer at a strip club, upset that patrons had cut off his tips, jumped off the stage and attacked and killed a customer, the man's family claims in Travis County Court.

The family of the late Kelvin T. Elam Monroe sued KCRC Inc., operator of the Austin male strip club La Bare, La Bare International, stripper Maurice McKnight, the property owners and others.

Monroe, 37, was in the club with three women on June 12, 2010, and gave them money to stuff down McKnight's costume, and to buy drinks on which McKnight earned commissions, according to the complaint.

McKnight, a "convicted felon with a history of alcohol and moral turpitude-related criminal violations," encouraged Monroe to give the women more money, the complaint states.

But when the money stopped, McKnight, drunk and belligerent, made such threatening remarks that the club's disc jockey had to call security, who did not respond, according to the complaint.

As Monroe returned from the bathroom to rejoin his party, McKnight "suddenly and without provocation" jumped from the raised stage and struck him, causing him to hit his head on the edge of a table and fall to the floor under the larger, muscular McKnight, the family claims.

"As he lay on the floor bleeding and unconscious, two of [Labare's] employees and management failed to call for immediate medical attention," the complaint states. Instead, his family says, Monroe was dragged to a back room and out the back of the club.

"The dragging, by employees and management, caused severe trauma to the legs and exacerbated the head trauma, while the unconscious [Monroe] was tossed into the alley behind the establishment," according to the complaint.

It took 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrived and take Monroe to a hospital, where he fell into a coma and died six days later, the family says. They say McKnight was found guilty of reckless behavior causing a death.

Monroe's family, including two young children, claim his death was the result of the attack, the "conscious indifference" of club employees and the failure of the property owners to keep "criminal elements" from getting drunk around customers.

They seek actual damages and exemplary damages for wrongful death and negligence.

They are represented by Rickey Jones.

Follow @davejourno
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