A woman is suing a Hollywood hookah lounge, alleging she was knocked into unconsciousness by a bouncer who may have been intoxicated during a 2022 dispute over when she should pay for her hookah.
April Ford’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against the Star Hookah Lounge of Hollywood and Los Angeles alleges assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil rights violations, negligence and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention of employees. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Ford says management did not have adequate measures in place to protect visitors and that no changes have been made to protect others from suffering the same experience she did. A representative for the Hollywood Boulevard club could not be immediately reached for comment on the suit brought Thursday.
Ford visited the Star Hookah Lounge on May 3, 2022, a location she had gone to before, and each time she had paid after ordering the hookah she purchased without any problems, the suit states. However, this time the bouncer, nicknamed “Big Mike,” asked her to pay at the front door and appeared to be intoxicated, according to the suit.
Ford thought the bouncer was joking, but he said he was serious and began arguing with her, the suit states. Ford began to walk away from him when he punched her in the back of the head, causing her to fall and lose consciousness, according to the suit.
The club’s manager allegedly then kicked and hit Ford and asked her to leave, which the plaintiff did, also calling the LAPD and declining an ambulance because she feared her car would be towed, the suit states. The lounge closed before officers arrived, the suit further states.
Ford initially felt dizzy, disoriented and had blurry vision and nausea, the later began to experience severe neck, lower back, right wrist and left eye pain, according to the suit, which also states she had bruises on her scalp, right arm, and her face. In addition, two of Ford’s nail extensions had been ripped off her left ring and small fingers, causing bleeding, the suit states.
Ford’s relatives took her to Good Samaritan Hospital, where her injuries were examined and she was given medication, the suit states. Ford was found to have suffered a concussion and a left radial styloid fracture for which she was required to wear a left thumb brace, according to the suit, which also states that she underwent a year of physical therapy.
Ford still has residual physical pain and emotional scarring from the alleged assault, the suit states.