Tossed Bull Rider's Lawsuit Gets Tossed
Does riding a mechanical bull sound like a fun time? If you do decide to engage in the activity and you head over to Johnny Utahs, one of the few places in the area that has the gizmo set up for its customers, keep in mind that if you get wasted and then fall off the bucking beast and injure yourself, you probably won't get very far if you file a lawsuit against the restaurant for negligence.
This is the path that screenwriter Aaron Schnore pursued last year when he slapped the restaurant with a lawsuit claiming the "urban cowboy experience" was responsible for causing him "serious physical injury" when it permitted him to ride the bull after "having drunk three pinks of Hoe Garden beer," and then, he alleged, ratcheting up the speed of the contraption in an effort to make him fall off. The restaurant countered Schnore's suit by pointing out that he'd signed a release before climbing on top of the bull; Schnore's lawyer argued that he was too wasted to enter into a legal contract at the time. Unfortunately for Schnore, a New York State Supreme Court judge disagreed and last week granted Johnny Utahs request for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
Hopefully Schnore can take consolation in the fact his screenwriting career is picking up. His five-part web series entitled "The Unprotected" can now be viewed online thanks to the gracious support of Application Security, Inc., "the leading provider of database security, risk and compliance solutions." The judge's decision is below.