Lawsuit filed in bar fight death
The family of a man who was killed in a bar fight filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Fayette County Court. John Finnerty Jr., 33, of Everson was killed during a fight outside The Paint Room bar in Connellsville on July 2, 2004.
Brian Watson, 31, of Dunbar was acquitted of criminal homicide in June, but Finnerty’s family can seek a civil remedy because the burdens of proof in civil and criminal cases are different. A civil case has a lower burden for jurors to award monetary damages.
Watson testified he was defending himself against Finnerty and his friends during the fight outside the bar. Watson’s punch sent Finnerty to the ground, where he hit his head. Witnesses testified Watson punched Finnerty twice more while he was on the ground, but medical testimony indicated it was that initial impact that caused Finnerty’s fatal injuries.
Friends of Finnerty’s said he was a happy-go-lucky man who was attacked for no reason outside the bar.
In addition to Watson, the suit names Steven and Wanda, who operate The Paint Room, and the owners of the bar property, Mark and Judy Schomer. The city of Connellsville and the parking authority, along with bar bouncer Charles Wolfe Jr., Robert A. LaFisca, Michael L. Darrell and Scott Lesniak, all of whom testified during the criminal trial as eyewitnesses to the fight.