Doorman Awarded $1.5 M

A former doorman who was shot in the head while working for the now-defunct Banana Joe’s in Charleston, W.Va., was awarded more than $1.5 million by a jury March 6th.

The decision was announced in Kanawha County Circuit Court in regard to Marlon Ferguson’s lawsuit against Banana Joe’s parent company, G&S Holdings LLC. Ferguson’s lawsuit claimed his former employer’s policy of using chokeholds to subdue patrons is what led to his injuries.

The lawsuit said Ferguson was shot in the head by a patron who was upset that a chokehold had been used to remove him from Banana Joe’s.

Ferguson testified the patron was came back a few minutes after he was kicked out of the club and shot three times at the venue’s entrance. One of the bullets struck Ferguson in the head.

At the time, doctors determined it would be more risky to remove the bullet than to leave it in. As a result, Ferguson is said to have trouble focusing, multitasking and occasionally speaking, according to the West Virginia Record.