The mother of a Philadelphia boy who was allegedly injured after being shot during a gathering at a hall in Chester, Pa. has filed a personal injury claim against the venue and the man who was heading up security during the birthday bash.
Philadelphia attorney William J. Faust, II, filed the injury suit Feb. 20 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on behalf of city resident Tasha Birchett.
Birchett is suing in her capacity as parent of Zimir Geiger, a minor child.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Minaret Temple Number 174 and Philadelphia resident Justin Hudson.
According to the complaint, Geiger was attending a birthday party at the hall, located at 2427 W. 4th St. in Chester, back on April 8, 2011, when he became injured by a hail of gunfire.
Geiger sustained bullet wounds to his left foot and right middle finger, the suit claims.
The suit claims that the shots were fired after a verbal altercation broke out between some of the party-goers.
According to the complaint, patrons were frisked for weapons upon entering the venue, although they weren’t wanded with handheld metal detectors.
Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that Hudson, who was in charge of security, and his security agents only checked males for weapons, not female patrons.
As a result of the incident, Geiger suffered injuries to his bones, muscles, nerves, tissues and ligaments, the lawsuit claims. He also sustained nervous shock and other ills, all of which have prevented him from attending to his daily duties and activities.
The plaintiff has incurred substantial financial expenses related to the medical treatment of her son.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants negligence, carelessness and recklessness for failing to provide and maintain a safe and secure premises; failing to provide safeguards, such as metal detectors and wands, to prevent against the foreseeable incident; failing to inspect and supervise the Minaret Temple and surrounding area adequately; failing to protect guests of the party; failing to provide adequate security in and around the Minaret Temple; failing to oversee and/or supervise existing security measures to ensure that such measures were being properly performed; and exposing Geiger to a “foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm of bodily injury.”
For each of the three counts in the suit, the plaintiff seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $50,000, plus interest, attorney’s fees and other court costs.
The case ID number is 120202219.