Greater Boston Area Crime Victims Attorneys
Bars, pubs, nightclubs and concerts can be a lot of fun but there is always the chance of a fight breaking out and violence ensuing anytime large groups of people consume large amounts of alcohol. People often have quick triggers and are prone to violent behaviors when they are binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as episodic excessive drinking and occurs when a male has 5 drinks within two hours or a female has 4 drinks within two hours.
Most people believe that only high school and college aged people binge drink, but according to the Center for Disease Control 70% of binge drinking episodes involve adults ages 26 and older.
Beer muscles and quick tempers can quickly turn a simple misunderstanding into a fight or an all out brawl. Hot-headed nightclub bouncers, security guards and employees often assault patrons in the confusion and chaos that ensues. Bar and nightclub doormen and bouncers have also been known to use excessive force when removing unruly yet nonviolent patrons from the premises.
Bouncers And Security Guards Are Only Allowed To Use Reasonable Force To Control Bar, Club, Or Venue Patrons
Most of the times bouncers and security staff have not received training from their employers instructing them on the proper way to respond to unruly customers or nightclub fights. Bouncers are only allowed to use physical force in certain circumstances. As a practical matter, bouncers are allowed to employ blocking movements by using their bodies to direct a patron towards the door when escorting them off the premises. Security guards may also be allowed to lightly touch an intoxicated and unsteady patron that needs some support or guidance to make their way off the property. This is the extent of any contact a bouncer should seek to make with a customer and all direction should be made through verbal orders.
Bouncers, bar doormen and nightclub security guards are only allowed to apply physical force when the patron has committed a physical assault on another patron or nightclub staff or has physically resisted security’s attempts at removal from the premises. Absence these conditions any physical force employed by the security staff may result in criminal and civil liability on the part of the nightclub or bar and the bouncer.
Bouncers are permitted to only use reasonable force sufficient to remove or restrain a patron that has committed an assault and battery on the staff or another patron. When using force in self-defense of in defense of others bouncers shouldn’t exceed the amount of force being used by the patron attacker. A bouncer doesn’t have the right to use a choke-holder when a patron has thrown a napkin at another patron or a security guard. A security guard isn’t allowed to knock a patron to the floor and kick him or her repeatedly if the patron has simply pushed another patron or a security guard. Any use of force that exceeds the forced used by a patron can expose the nightclub security to potential civil and criminal charges.
The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan has a track record of success when it comes to representing clients injured in bars and nightclubs.
- $550,000 Bouncer Assaults Customer
- $160,000 Bouncer Assault and Battery on Patron
- $30,000 Boston Nightclub Security Guard Assaults Patron
- $17,000 Nightclub Bouncer Assaulted Drunk Customer
- $15,750 Boston Bouncer Removes Patron with Choke-hold
- $13,500 Nightclub Doorman gives Patron a Black-eye
- $10,000 Intoxicated Patron Assaults another Patron
If you were assaulted by a bouncer or security guard at a bar, nightclub or other venue, call for help and get a free initial legal consultation.
If you have suffered personal injuries at the hands of a nightclub employee or bouncer then you may be able to bring a civil claim against the nightclub or bar owner and the employee that committed the assault and battery. A victim of a bouncer or security guard assault may be able to bring a civil suit against the club owner for negligently hiring, supervising or training the bouncer that committed the assault. Call our Boston nightclub bouncer assault attorneys today and schedule your free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys have achieved favorable settlements for clients that have been assaulted by security guards working for big nightclubs and bars in Boston and Quincy.
No matter where you are located in Massachusetts, we are just a phone call away. Call our law offices today to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 and you will have taken your first step to find out how best to confront this important matter. You can also click here to use our Free Case Evaluation Form.
Our personal injury trial lawyers handle all types of accident claims including those involving catastrophic injuries, throughout all of Massachusetts including, but not limited to, those in the following counties, cities and towns: Plymouth County including Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, Duxbury, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Holbrook, Middleborough; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Lakeville, Norton; Cape Cod, Falmouth, Barnstable and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Everett, Lynn, Revere, Dorchester, Roxbury.
