PHILADELPHIA – A visitor to SugarHouse Casino who claimed to have been cut and wounded by the “sharp, broken and jagged” top to a beer bottle she was served on the premises, has settled with both the casino and Anheuser Busch.
An Oct. 20 notice from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas’ Arbitration Center declared Sharon McGee’s case against the SugarHouse Casino and Anheuser Busch had been settled, and such, it would be marked “discontinued” on the court’s docket and removed from the applicable list and inventory of pending cases. Further, the case would only be able to be restored to the arbitration list by judicial order.
Official terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
McGee initially filed suit on Jan. 24, 2017 in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas against the defendants, in reference to an incident which occurred on Feb. 3, 2015.
“Plaintiff was severely wounded and cut by reason of coming into contact with the aforementioned dangerous and defective condition at the aforesaid location, causing plaintiff the injuries that form the basis of this action,” McGee’s complaint read.
McGee alleges the defendants failed to inspect or repair the dangerous and defective condition or warn customers of same, and says she suffered cuts, contusions, abrasions, permanent scarring and disfigurement, plus numbness and tingling in her bottom lip (all of which required medical attention, as well as a tetanus shot), as a result.
Defense counsel filed an answer on March 17 last year, asserting the complaint may be barred under the applicable statute of limitations and/or by the terms and conditions of the Comparative Negligence Act for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The casino had further asserted a cross-claim against fellow defendants Anheuser Busch, Inc. C/T System and Anheuser Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc. at that time, claiming they were in fact responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries and should be financially responsible for paying damages if the plaintiff were to win her case.
Prior to settlement, the plaintiff was seeking damages, individually, jointly and severally, not in excess of the arbitration limit of $50,000, plus interest, attorney’s fees and costs of suit.
The plaintiff was represented by Justin M. Bieber of J. Bieber Law, in Philadelphia.
Defendant SugarHouse was represented by Patrick J. Stapleton III and Christine C. McGuigan of Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby, also in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas case 170103353
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com