A lawsuit filed by a University Park trustee’s son claims accuses the owners and management of a Markham bar of being directly responsible for an altercation two years ago that left him permanently blind with partial brain damage.
Jacob Roudez, who was shot eight times in the parking lot at Adrianna’s Sports Pub & Grill, 16300 Dixie Highway, is seeking $10 million compensation in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Roudez is a son of Trustee Joseph Roudez III, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor April 7. The suit alleges that the management and employees of Adrianna’s engaged in willful and wanton conduct and various negligent acts — including allowing armed people into the bar and failing to have enough security personnel, to call 911 when the attack began and to prevent the attack from occurring.
The lawsuit says Roudez was celebrating his 25th birthday with friends and relatives when they entered Adrianna’s about 11 p.m. April 19, 2013, and stayed until about 2:45 a.m., despite a disagreement with another group about 1:30 a.m.
In that incident, Roudez was dancing with a person whom he thought was a woman before realizing the person was a man dressed as a woman, and he “calmly expressed his displeasure” that the man had deceived him, according to the suit. It says Roudez’s comments and rejection angered the man.
As Roudez and his party were leaving the bar, they were confronted by the man and other men with him who threatened to physically harm Roudez and angry words were exchanged in front of a security guard who “could see the situation escalating, but did nothing to intervene,” the lawsuit claims.
It says the two groups’ members continued to exchange words while heading to their cars, and someone in the other group drew a handgun and repeatedly shot Jacob.
The lawsuit contends that Adrianna’s management was “aware the premises attracted a dangerous clientele with gang affiliations and that numerous shootings had taken place on the premises.” The prior shootings “actual or constructive notice that violent altercations and gun violence were commonplace on the premises, including in its building and in the parking lot,” the lawsuit says.
The suit comes less than a month after a 26-year-old Matteson man was shot and killed in Adrianna’s parking lot.
Adrianna’s representatives could not be reached Thursday for comment on the lawsuit.
Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter.