A Winnipeg retiree who alleges he was so badly assaulted by bouncers at Teasers Burlesque Palace in 2022 that he wound up in hospital with a fractured skull is suing the St. Boniface strip club for damages.
Lawyers from Tapper Cuddy LLP, Sadira Garfinkel and Jason Harvey, filed a statement of claim in Court of King’s Bench last week on behalf of John Karpluk, a retiree in his mid-60s.
The lawsuit names Teasers, the numbered corporation that owns the property it sits on at Marion and Archibald streets, and an unidentified member of its security personnel — referred to as John Doe — in the court filings as defendants.
None have responded to the allegations in court. The strip club’s phone did not appear to be working Monday.
Karpluk’s counsel did not return a message Monday.
The long-standing strip club is on the same property as the Chalet Hotel at 611 Archibald St.
Karpluk alleges that he and some friends and family members went to Teasers at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2022, where the group sat down at a table and ordered drinks.
The plaintiff, who was 63 at the time, claims the John Doe security guard came over to the group’s table shortly after they ordered and demanded they leave the property. No further details of what may have led to the demand for the group to leave are included in the filings.
“The parties asked if they could leave the property once they finished their beverages… John Doe refused their request and required that the parties leave the property,” Karpluk’s court filings claim.
As he and others were leaving, the court filing claims, the unidentified security guard grabbed Karpluk and threw him into a door frame. Karpluk hit his head and was knocked unconscious.
The court papers claim it was an unprovoked and “unwarranted use of force.”
Karpluk alleges he suffered further injuries at the hands of the unidentified guard or other security personnel while unconscious, including a fractured skull, a broken rib, a dislocated clavicle and a concussion.
According to Karpluk’s claim, Winnipeg police and paramedics were called to the bar, and he was taken to Health Sciences Centre, where he was diagnosed with two fractures to parts of the skull.
Karpluk was not charged in the incident, court records confirm.
He was discharged from hospital the following day and advised he likely had a concussion.
Further X-rays a few days later revealed that Karpluk had a fracture to his left clavicle and a broken rib. He had to keep his arm in a sling for about three weeks.
He later required surgery for his clavicle fracture, the court filing claims. He required prescribed physiotherapy afterward.
Karpluk said in the court papers that he needed help to perform tasks around the house after the injuries and continues to suffer pain and has limited range of motion.
No dollar figure is cited in the filings.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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