Ohio man hit with beer can at Star Lake sues venue
A man who was struck in the head with a full beer can at a concert last year is suing The Pavilion at Star Lake for alleged negligence.
Law firm Morgan & Morgan filed the lawsuit on behalf of Michael Mollenkopf in Allegheny County this week.
Named in the lawsuit are Live Nation, which operates The Pavilion at Star Lake, Legends Hospitality and Crossroads Properties. Also named is “John Doe,” who is meant to stand-in for the person or entities “responsible for maintenance, security and/or control” of the concert venue, according to the lawsuit.
Live Nation and Legends Hospitality did not respond to requests for comment.
Mollenkopf, of Columbiana, Ohio, attended the Jason Aldean concert Aug. 9 with his daughter, and during the second song the beer can hit him in the back of the head.
The incident prompted an investigation by Hanover Township police. However, it is unlikely anyone will be charged for throwing the beer. Sgt. Kelly Davis said Tuesday that there was a lack of witnesses and video evidence.
“On our end, it’s pretty much a closed case and we were unable to determine a suspect,” Davis said.
Mollenkopf was diagnosed with multiple concussions, and according to the lawsuit, continues to suffer from cognitive issues, short-term memory loss, post-traumatic stress disorder and a stutter.
The lawsuit faults the venue for not having staff trained to diffuse violent situations, and not properly assessing potential violence. It also claims the defendants should not have been serving large cans to customers, because they were aware they had been used as weapons in the past.
According to the lawsuit, the venue and vendors failed “to make patrons pour canned drinks into cups or other containers when it was reasonably foreseeable that a can or unopened can could be used as a weapon.”
Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Mark Malone said in a statement that the defendants did not do enough to ensure the safety of those who attended the concert.
“This alleged negligence didn’t just cause our client pain; it left him with a severe speech impediment and other debilitating cognitive issues. We will fight to hold the defendants accountable and compel them to implement stronger safety measures at their venue,” the statement reads.
The beer can incident was not the only instance of violence at the Aldean concert. A video that was shared widely on the internet showed a man assaulting multiple women in the Star Lake parking lot.
Charges have not been filed in that case.
“We’re still working on that one,” Davis said.