Nowhere Bar recently agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed over the 2020 death of Christopher McKinney.
Nowhere Bar recently agreed to settle a lawsuit with the widower of a Louisville man who passed away last year after an altercation with a bouncer at the bar. Christopher McKinney was the man who was killed. As part of the recent agreement, his widower, Nicholas Clark, “will receive a monetary settlement, and Nowhere Bar will also issue a public apology,” according to Georgia Connally, the attorney representing Clark.
When commenting on the matter, Connally said:
“Nowhere Bar is making a public statement of apology to the community and to Nicholas and Christopher’s family…We are still not giving up in our fight for justice so that something similar doesn’t happen to someone’s loved one down the road.”
What happened, though? Well, back on January 5, 2020, McKinney was found unresponsive at the bar. After being found, he was rushed to the hospital and treated for blunt force injuries to his head. He died hours later. According to police reports, “a bouncer had been escorting McKinney out of Nowhere Bar for unruly behavior when a brief altercation ensued.”
The suit was filed last summer and noted McKinney was “drunk and forgot his coat ticket before getting into an argument that led to his removal.” During the argument, “a security officer threw him out of the bar door onto the patio…and a bouncer then struck Christopher hard in the head with a closed fist.”
According to police records, “McKinney had swung at the bouncer first before the security employee responded with the single punch to the head, knocking McKinney unconscious.”
During the altercation, the suit further claimed “off-duty officers looked out for the best interests of the bouncer and did not let patrons who were medical professionals administer aid to McKinney…who died after he laid alone on the cold January sidewalk in a pool of his own blood.” On top of that, “LMPD did not properly investigate the bouncer, an Indiana man, by failing to take blood or urine samples for testing and not following up with some witnesses.” It turns out, “the bouncer told police he had one shot of alcohol earlier in the night,” according to police records.
As a result of the incident, Clark sued the bar, the bouncer, and the bar’s general manager and owner, Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Metro Police Department, and three off-duty police officers who were working security at the bar during the altercation.
Connally noted that while LMPD and Louisville Metro Government “are not part of the settlement due to immunity issues…we are still considering our options with how to deal with LMPD.”
Despite the recent settlement, Clark also said he is “not done pursuing criminal charges.” He added, “That’s always been my number one priority.”
Sources:
Settlement reached in lawsuit against Nowhere Bar over Louisville man’s death
Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Nowhere Bar after man’s death
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