The son of a man killed last year at Baldwin’s Loose Moose Saloon filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the bar and the man accused of killing him.
Mark D. Thompson, 51, of South Park, died on July 22, 2021, four days after he was assaulted at the bar, police said.
The lawsuit, filed in state court by Adam C. Thompson, names as defendants Zachary Blake, who is awaiting trial on a single charge of criminal homicide, and the bar in the 5000 block of Brownsville Road.
Blake, 23, of Peters, is scheduled to go on trial before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente on Dec. 12.
According to the lawsuit, Mark Thompson was sitting at the bar around 11 p.m. when a bartender asked the patrons to assist in breaking up a fight between two men outside.
After Thompson went out to help, the lawsuit said Blake approached him from behind and punched him in the head.
Another patron went outside and found Blake on top of Thompson, the complaint said.
Blake used his legs to pin Thompson’s arms down and punched him in the face 10 to 15 times, the lawsuit said.
The witness pulled Blake off Thompson and saw that Thompson’s face was blue.
When first responders arrived, the lawsuit said, Thompson had no pulse and was unresponsive.
He was flown to Allegheny General Hospital where he later died from head injuries.
The lawsuit includes claims for battery and wrongful death against Blake, as well as negligence, wrongful death and violations of Pennsylvania’s Dram Shop Act, which governs how alcohol is to be served to patrons, against Loose Moose Saloon.
The lawsuit accuses the bar of overserving alcohol to Blake even though he was “visibly and noticeably intoxicated.”
Casey White, who represents Blake in his criminal case, said they will address the civil suit in due time.
“Right now our focus is on the criminal trial in December, and we look forward to seeing the matter through,” he said.
A message left with Loose Moose Saloon was not immediately returned.
