NASCAR driver Mike Wallace is suing Live Nation and other corporate entities, claiming they were negligent by allowing him and his daughter to be beaten ruthlessly by multiple intoxicated men after a Rascal Flatts concert in Charlotte last year, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Brutal beating of #NASCAR driver after Rascal Flatts concert prompts lawsuit https://t.co/YVH9lzDHk1 #RascalFlatts @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/cbu0j4kzwr
— Doug Miller (@DougObserver) June 30, 2017
In the lawsuit, which was moved to federal court Friday, Wallace and his family claim they were attacked by a group of people who have a history of violence at PNC Pavilion, the venue at which the concert was held. Staff at the pavilion continued to serve the alleged attackers alcohol despite their obvious intoxication, according to the suit.
The suit also claims security personnel failed to intervene during the attack.
Live Nation’s Atlanta-based subsidiary, Pavilion Partners, and New Jersey-based vendor Legends Hospitality are also named in the lawsuit.
Wallace and his family say they were attacked by employees of Lucas Lawn & Landscaping Co., the pavilion’s grounds-keeping company, and their friends, a group that has been involved in at least four other fights at the venue, according to the suit.
The suit claims Mike Wallace was knocked unconscious by an unprovoked Nathan Lucas, and stomped, punched and kicked by the group.
Wallace’s daughter, Lindsey Van Wingerden, was choked and beaten when she came to her father’s aid and ended up with broken ribs and a fractured wrist, according to the suit.
But after Wallace filed assault charges against three men involved, a mistrial was declared in October and Wallace dropped the charges in February, The Observer notes.
During that trial, a story vastly different than Wallace’s version was told. Wallace admitted under cross-examination by defense attorneys he had been drinking, too, while also on prescription drugs. The lawyers also showed a video of Wallace’s involvement in the fight, despite his claim that he was unconscious.
Neither the Lucas company nor its employees are named in the new suit.
Wallace has made 197 starts in the NASCAR Cup series, most recently in 2015. He’s won four races in 494 starts in the Xfinity Series and has five Camping World Truck Series victories.