A man sued for alleged assault denies the allegations and argues that the other restaurant patron provoked the incident.
Derek Reeves filed his lawsuit on Nov. 4 against Brennan Bunjak.
According to the complaint, Bunjak allegedly assaulted and battered Reeves in the face on April 26, 2014, at Big Daddy’s in Belleville.
As a result of the alleged assault, Reeves claims he suffered a broken jaw that required surgery.
Bujnak denied the allegations against him in his Dec. 1 answer to the complaint through attorney Gregory Skinner of Belleville.
He asserted three affirmative defenses against Reeves, arguing that the “sole proximate cause of any injury sustained by plaintiff was provocation on the part of plaintiff.”
Reeves seeks damages of at least $50,000, plus court costs and attorney’s fees.
Circuit Judge Andrew Gleeson scheduled a status conference for Jan. 11 at 9 a.m.
The plaintiff is represented by Susan Brennan of The Brennan Law Firm of Belleville and Gerard Schneller of Wilkins Schneller Law of St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 15-L-632