Cahokia woman claims she was stabbed in ESL bar

A Cahokia woman claims a patron of an East St. Louis bar stabbed her after becoming intoxicated.

Nancy S. Rice filed a lawsuit Jan. 13 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against bar owners Jesse Bryant Jr., Larry Bryant and James Jones.

Rice claims the defendants operated a bar called Jesse's Place on Jan. 23, 2009, and sold alcoholic beverages to Lakeesha Y. Seawood-Morris, who then became intoxicated.

"Thereafter, while intoxicated, Lakeesha Y. Seawood-Morris battered and stabbed Plaintiff, Nancy S. Rice, who at the time, was a patron of Jesse's Place," the suit states.

Because of the incident, Rice sustained injuries, incurred medical costs, lost wages and suffered pain and disability, the complaint says.

Rice blames the defendants for allowing the stabbing to occur, saying they failed to provide adequate staffing, failed to properly instruct employees in crowd control tactics, failed to remove Seawood-Morris when it became apparent that she acted in a violent way toward patrons and failed to prevent Seawood-Morris from entering the bar when they knew she had a violent propensity and when she carried a weapon.

In her two-count complaint, Rice seeks a judgment of more than $100,000, plus costs.

Geoffrey P. Campbell of VanDerGinst Law in Rock Island will be representing her.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-17.