Features
Hanson Fan Sues HoB
A concertgoer is suing a former
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 3 on behalf of Brittney Hernandez in Circuit Court of Cook County, accuses Darrell Gibson of assault, battery, negligence, intentional act, infliction of emotional distress and theft related to a scuffle outside the building after the concert had ended.
House of Blues and its parent company, Live Nation, are also named in the complaint.
The lawsuit stems from an altercation that started when Hernandez and her friends were waiting after the concert near a tunnel that tour buses use. Hernandez claims she was taking a photo of her friends when Gibson allegedly came over and grabbed her camera out of her hands without warning, according to the area’s Marina City News.
That’s when the scuffle started, and a cell phone video taken by a bystander shows a man identified as Gibson hitting Hernandez in the face and pushing her down to the sidewalk a couple of times when she tried to get her camera back. Hernandez reportedly sustained minor injuries to her face.
When police arrived, they spoke with Hernandez and then arrested Gibson for battery, according to the paper.
At the time, House of Blues issued a statement, saying, “We take our responsibility to maintain the safety of both our patrons and the artists who play at the House of Blues very seriously. We are looking into the incident and will cooperate fully with the authorities.”
Gibson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced Nov. 5 to a year of court supervision, anger management counseling and to perform five days of community service, the News said.
An attempt to reach a Live Nation spokesman was unsuccessful at press time.