Nevada Jury Orders Casino Bar to Pay $8M for Serving Dangerous Cleaner to Customer

Posted on: March 22, 2022, 04:20h. 

Last updated on: March 22, 2022, 02:57h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A Nevada man was awarded $8 million by a jury this month after he was served chemical cleaner at Nevada’s Barley’s Casino & Brewing Company, according to the plaintiff’s law firm. The victim was expecting a beer, but leftover cleaning solution was in the tap lines.

Henderson, Nevada's Barley’s Casino & Brewing Company,
Henderson, Nevada’s Barley’s Casino & Brewing Company, pictured above. A jury awarded a customer $8 million after he was given a cleaning solution instead of a beer at the venue, lawyers said. (Image: Vital Vegas)

A Clark County District Court jury took two hours to deliberate before reaching the decision in this month’s negligence trial. The jurors hearing the lawsuit gave the plaintiff, Lon Enwright, $3 million in prior non-economic damages and $5 million in future damages.

On Dec. 18, 2018, a bartender at the Henderson, Nev. venue had offered Enwright, 38, a sample size of Honey Blonde Ale. But the bartender knew the tap lines for the beer were not working, the plaintiff’s lawyers said.

Cleaner was in the lines, instead.

Internal Injuries

Enwright, a special education teacher in Clark County, went to Barley’s that day to watch a football game. He took the drink of the cleaner.

After consuming the cleaner, Enright suffered “significant internal injuries,” according to a statement released last week by Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi, a Los Angeles-based personal injury law firm that represented Enwright.

Enwright felt burning in his mouth, on his tongue, in his esophagus, and in his stomach. He then went into convulsions, hyperventilated, and then began to vomit, the statement added. Enwright also suffered permanent tissue and nerve damage in his mouth, tongue, and gastrointestinal system.

Enwright has and will continue to experience “lifelong internal damage,” such as a burning sensation on his tongue, loss of taste, and ulcers in his esophagus, the lawyers said.

The cleaning solution included potassium hydroxide and nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether. The ingredients are known to cause injuries and burns to the respiratory tract, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract, Enwright’s lawyers said.

Shortly after the incident, responding EMTs with the Henderson Fire Department were told by the local poison control center that Enwright should dilute the chemicals by drinking gallons of water.

The attorneys representing the defendant denied liability until March 10, the plaintiff’s attorneys said. The trial began on March 14. Defense attorneys had argued Enwright should have been awarded $100,000 for prior non-economic damages and $200,000 for future damages, the plaintiff’s lawyers said.

Station Casinos Property

But during the trial, Enwright testified. So did Dr. Frank Nemec, who is a gastroenterologist in Las Vegas. He was a past president of the Nevada State Medical Association.

Barley’s is operated by Town Center Amusements. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Station Casinos, the plaintiff’s lawyers said.

Casino.org contacted Station Casinos for immediate comment. No statement was provided. It is unclear if the company will attempt to appeal the verdict.

Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi is the same law firm that represented plaintiffs who were awarded an $800 million settlement for the Sheppard v. Mandalay Bay lawsuit. It stemmed from the Las Vegas 2017 mass shooting which left many concertgoers dead or injured.