Jack Goldrick, Rory Cannon, and Bob Napleton secured a $216,000,000 jury verdict in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The plaintiff, an off-duty Chicago police officer, was violently stabbed 13 times by defendant Stephanie Campbell-Ward at the corner of Artesian and Fargo, approximately one block away from the Mark II Lounge. The Mark II Lounge was a North Side late-night bar open until 4 a.m. Plaintiff alleged that defendants Stephanie Campbell-Ward, Brandon Westbrook, and Dorothy Howard engaged in willful and wanton misconduct. The incident was captured on video taken by a neighborhood resident. Plaintiff asserted that the three intoxicated defendants acted in concert with one another and defendants Stephanie Campbell-Ward, Brandon Westbrook, and Dorothy Howard facilitated the stabbing of the vulnerable plaintiff, whose blood alcohol level was .242. Mid-trial the plaintiff settled with the Mark II Lounge for $500,000. Plaintiff claimed the security at the bar was inadequate. The jury awarded $2,145,713 in compensatory damages and $214,517,300 in punitive damages. The punitive damages award is not dischargeable by declaring bankruptcy. Plaintiff’s attorneys intend to vigorously attempt to collect the entire judgment against the defendants.
Napleton & Partners
