Man put in coma by bouncer sues Phila. gentlemen’s club Delilah’s Den

A Maryland man who claims he spent a number of days in a coma following an incident in which he was assaulted by a bouncer at a Philadelphia gentlemen’s club has sued the adult entertainment venue in federal court.

Richard Bebber, of Galena, Md., filed suit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on April 25 against Delilah’s Den, over an April 29, 2012, incident in which he says he was attacked by a security guard while he was trying to help a friend who had become ill.

The suit says that Bebber, who was attending a bachelor party at the time, was struck in the head with an unknown object and then pushed out of the front door of the establishment, striking his head on the ground outside.

The complaint states that Bebber did nothing to provoke the attack.

As a result of the incident, the plaintiff sustained significant injuries to his head, neck, face, back and limbs, including abrasions and contusions.

The plaintiff’s injuries caused him to have to spend several days in the hospital, some of which were spent unconscious in a coma.

Bebber says he incurred earnings losses during his recovery period and that he had to spend significant sums of money on medical care.

The strip club is accused of negligently and/or intentionally failing to properly screen, select, train, supervise and instruct its workers, including security personnel.

“As part of its ongoing and long standing pattern of outrageous, deliberate and reckless conduct, Defendant Delilah’s Den has, for many years, attempted to escape responsibility for its employees’ systematic, intentional, brutal, violent, sadistic and vicious assaults inflicted upon other victims by claiming that the Delilah’s Den employees were required to use force because these other victims were acting in an unruly manner and/or were under the influence of alcohol and/or were harassing the female dancer(s) employed at Delilah’s Den,” the complaint reads. “However, in this case Plaintiff was attempting to exit the building and was not acting unruly, under the influence of alcohol to the extent he was impaired, nor anywhere within the sight of any female dancer when he was brutally, violently and viciously assaulted by security personnel, acting in their role as an employee of defendant Delilah’s Den.”

The lawsuit even cites the defendant’s actions as a catalyst for the City of Philadelphia in 2012 to enact an ordinance regulating bouncers employed by Delilah’s and other strip clubs.

“Yet notwithstanding this ordinance and recognition of the problem, defendant Delilah’s Den and its security personnel inflicted the aforesaid assault and injuries upon the Plaintiff,” the suit states.

The complaint contains counts of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Bebber seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000, plus litigation costs, interest and other relief.

He is being represented by Kennett Square, Pa. attorney J. Patrick Holahan, II.

 

The federal case number is 2:14-cv-02386-RB.