A teenage girl has filed a lawsuit against Regal Cinemas, claiming that she was physically assaulted by an older man while watching a movie at the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco, and employee did nothing to help her.
Plaintiff B.C., a minor, by and through her guardian D.C., filed the lawsuit in San Francisco County Superior Court against Regal Cinemas Inc. and several unnamed individuals, citing premise liability, negligence, assault and battery.
According to the lawsuit, B.C., a 17-year-old female, was attending a movie at the Regal Cinemas movie theater in the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco on May 29. The lawsuit states that while B.C. was watching a movie, an unknown male adult got into a verbal altercation with some patrons seated near her that lasted for several minutes. The lawsuit claims that the man then approached B.C. and became aggressive with her before striking her in the face without cause or warning. The lawsuit claims that during the entire verbal altercation and the physical attack, Regal employees took no action to intervene or end the conflict.
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B.C. claims that after being struck in the face, she ran out of the movie to find a security guard, but that there were none on the premises. She claims that she reported the attack to a Regal employee, who instructed her to wait outside of the theater. B.C. claims that while she was waiting, her unknown assailant came out of the movie to engage her in two separate additional confrontations. During these incidents, no Regal employee or security guard intervened.
The plaintiff claims that Regal employees never called the police, never removed the man from the movie theater, and instead allowed her assailant to stay and finish the movie, forcing her to wait outside of the theater at risk of further attack from the man. She adds that since Regal employees never called the police, the man was able to leave the theater without consequence and that his identity was never determined.
According to the lawsuit, Regal Cinemas has a duty of reasonable care to protect the safety of its patrons while they are on the premises. Despite this, the defendant allegedly negligently failed to have proper security in place, failed to train employees on how to properly handle confrontations between patrons inside movie theaters, and failed to provide proper surveillance.
B.C. claims that as a result of the negligence of Regal Cinemas and its employees and the actions of her unknown assailant, she has suffered physical, mental and emotional pain and suffering, distress, fear and embarrassment.
The plaintiff is seeking damages plus attorneys fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. She is represented in this case by attorney Samuel Ray, of Colla & Ray, of San Francisco.
Superior Court of California of the County of San Francisco case number CGC-23-609279