A 58-year-old Beaverton woman is suing the Trail Blazers and the Rose Garden arena for $155,000 — claiming that the organizations over-served a drunken fan, who badly injured her shoulder when he fell onto her. According to the suit, filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court: Brenda S. Goldner was sitting in front of a group of rowdy and drunken men on March 19, 2011 as she watched the Blazers play the Philadelphia 76ers. The men repeatedly left their seats to get more beer. They also bought beer from vendors who walked by. One young man, in particular, was unsteady on his feet and held a beer in each hand, the suit alleges. In the second half of the game, he fell over the seats in front of him. His knee slammed into Goldner’s left shoulder, and his body weight fell onto her. He refused to identify himself, and “fled” the arena with his group of friends, according to the suit, filed by Portland attorney Jason Posner. The suit faults the Blazers, Vulcan Arena Holdings Corporation and others that own or operate the arena for allowing the man to continue to drink, and for failing to get the man’s name after Goldner asked a staff member to do so. Goldner’s suit states that she suffers from adhesive capsulitis, also known as “frozen shoulder,” which is a painful inflammation of the shoulder that causes loss of motion. She is seeking $30,000 for medical bills that have already accrued, and $125,000 for pain and suffering. A Blazers spokesman said the organization had not been served yet with a copy of the suit, and he declined comment because of the pending litigation. A representative from the Rose Garden couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Such lawsuits are exceedingly rare against sporting organizations, and are more commonly filed against bars or restaurants for allegedly over-serving patrons who go on to drive while drunk, crash and injure or kill others. Oregon law prohibits establishments that sell alcohol from continuing to serve a visibly intoxicated person. Plaintiffs' attorneys in such cases typically argue that the bars or restaurants were motivated by profits as they continued to sell alcohol to drunken customers. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/07/beaverton_woman_sues_blazers_r.html
