Hotel sued over lounge fight

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A man who said he permanently lost his vision in his left eye after being assaulted in an Austintown hotel lounge has sued the hotel and his alleged assailant for more than $25,000.

Bruce R. Heflin Jr., of Winter Ridge Court, filed the civil lawsuit this week in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court against the California Palms Hotel and Stanislaw Labedz of Bexley Drive. Heflin is demanding a jury trial.

Labedz, 44, is scheduled for a plea hearing at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney in a criminal case, in which the county grand jury indicted him on a felonious assault charge in the same Jan. 30, 2016, incident.

Heflin said he was a hotel lounge customer when Labedz assaulted him.

The lawsuit claims the hotel had ineffective security and negligently served alcoholic beverages to noticeably intoxicated people.

Sebastian Rucci, hotel owner, called the injury “very unfortunate,” but said it had nothing to do with intoxication.

Security personnel were on duty at the hotel lounge when the incident occurred, and the hotel turned over its security video of the altercation to police, he said.

“Two people can have an argument, and it doesn’t mean I’m responsible for their argument,” Rucci said.

This incident was the only fight in the two years the lounge has been open, Rucci said.