An Indianapolis institution well-known to sports media members has been added to the lawsuit filed by the man former Fox NFL broadcaster Mark Sanchez allegedly assaulted in October.
As initially reported by Fox59.com and via Pro Football Talk, Huse Culinary Inc. has been added to the lawsuit against Sanchez and the Fox Corporation stemming from the Oct. 4 stabbing incident that took place in downtown Indianapolis.
Among other restaurants and establishments, Huse Culinary owns St. Elmo Steakhouse, the go-to dining spot for sports media members when they’re in town to cover the Colts, Pacers, or other major sporting events. It is best known for its shrimp cocktail.
According to the amended lawsuit, Sanchez had attended an event earlier that day hosted by Huse Culinary at 126 South Illinois Street. St. Elmo Steakhouse and the 1933 Lounge, also owned by Huse Culinary, are at that address. Per the lawsuit, Sanchez was served alcohol that led to his impairment before he ended up confronting Perry Tole that evening.
Tole and his legal team are claiming that Huse Culinary is guilty of negligence and violating the Indiana Dram Shop Act, which makes it an establishment’s responsibility not to sell or serve alcohol to anyone visibly intoxicated or impaired.
On the night of October 4, Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to call the Raiders-Colts game, got into an early morning confrontation with Tole, a 69-year-old delivery driver, over a parking spot at a downtown hotel. The situation escalated quickly, and security video shows Sanchez throwing Tole toward a wall and to the ground before running off. Tole used pepper spray, then a knife, telling police he thought Sanchez was going to kill him. Tole suffered a severe laceration that penetrated all the way through his left cheek. Sanchez was found shortly after at a nearby bar with stab wounds to his upper right torso. He spent a week in the hospital in critical condition.
Sanchez was charged in his hospital bed with one count of Level 5 felony battery resulting in serious bodily injury, plus three misdemeanors: battery with injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle. The felony alone carries a potential sentence of one to six years in prison. Sanchez was also fired by Fox a few days after the incident.
Tole initially sued Sanchez and Fox Sports in civil court, seeking unspecified damages for what his attorneys call permanent disfigurement from the altercation. As of now, the jury trial is set to begin on December 11.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.