Man sues Cook County Saloon for $1M after he was thrown out of club

A Calgary man suing an Edmonton nightclub for more than $1 million claims bouncers violently handled him for drinking champagne out of the bottle.

According to a statement of claim filed in Court of Queen’s Bench on June 24, Justin Vincent was at Cook County Saloon on July 10, 2011, to celebrate the upcoming marriage of one of his friends.

Vincent and friends were drinking champagne in the nightclub when one of the bouncers told people at the table not to drink champagne directly out of the bottle.

“After being advised of this, one of the people at Vincent’s table took a drink of champagne directly out of the bottle,” the claim says.

The lawsuit alleges bouncers then came over to the table and grabbed Vincent without warning and violently drove him backward down one of the nightclub’s aisles.

Vincent was allegedly handled violently and thrown by the bouncers, then thrown out onto the street in front of the nightclub.

“While outside, Vincent was in incredible pain and flagged down a police officer,” the claim says.

He was taken to the University of Alberta Hospital and treated for injuries, including fractures to his right leg and ankle and ligament damage.

The claim says he required surgery on his right ankle and continues to require treatment.

Vincent, who was working as a heating and air conditioning technician, alleges he was unable to work for about one year because of his injuries.

“When he was able to return to work his abilities were compromised and he was not able to work to the same extent or in the same manner as a result of the pain and disability arising from his injuries,” the lawsuit says.

Two unidentified bouncers are named as defendants on the statement of claim.

It is alleged they were negligent in the manner in which they handled Vincent, including attacking him “despite the fact that he had not conducted himself in a manner that would warrant such an attack,” failing to ask him to leave before attacking him, failing to handle the concern over the champagne in an appropriate manner and “manhandling” him in a way that exposed him to severe injury.

The allegations contained in a statement of claim have not been proven in court, and no statement of defence has been filed yet.