Judge and gavel

PREMISES LIABILITY

HILLSBOROUGH CIRCUIT COURT

A jury awarded $248,500 to a patron who suffered a fractured leg after bouncers ejected him from a Tampa bar.

Michael Pena, then 35, was ejected from the Blue Martini Lounge on Sept. 4, 2013. He claimed the bouncers either kicked him in the leg or knocked him to the ground, causing the injury. Security cameras showed Pena pushing another patron inside the bar. His attorney argued the transgression of pushing another patron was minor and did not warrant a violent response.

The jury found the Blue Martini was negligent and the legal cause of injury to Pena.

Case: Pena v. Blue Martini Tampa

Case No.: 17-CA-007208

Plaintiffs attorney: Keith Chasin, The Law Offices of Keith Chasin, Miami

Defense attorneys: Jeanette O. Cardenas and John A. Rine, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, Tampa