Injured man wins $650,000 judgment against strip club

Stripper's shoe strikes man in eye; he suffered broken bones, double vision

The Palm Beach Post

9:20 p.m. EDT, October 14, 2010

A man who sued after being struck in the face by a strip dancer's shoe at the Cheetah nightclub, seriously injuring his eye, has won a $650,000 judgment.

Personal injury litigator Lake "Trey" Lytal III said Thursday that while the club's insurance company agreed to the amount, getting the money to Cheetah's patron Michael Ireland still is not a done deal and may require more litigation.

Ireland, a roofer, has experienced chronic double vision since stripper Sakeena Shageer's shoe made contact with his eye at the suburban West Palm Beach club in September 2008, Lytal said.

"When this case was first filed, many people criticized it simply because it occurred at a strip club," Lytal said. "But we feel the $650,000 settlement goes to show that this was a serious case with serious injuries."

Shageer said she was walking along the bar, with her feet near patrons' heads, when she spun around in reaction to someone touching her, Lytal said. Shageer struck Ireland accidentally, he said.

Shageer did not respond to a phone message seeking comment.

Lytal said he was not sure precisely what kind of shoe Shageer was wearing except that it was a platform with a metal heel.

The registered agent of the Cheetah's parent company, Joe Rodriguez, did not respond to a message seeking comment. A manager at the club Thursday said he could not comment whether dancers are still allowed to shimmy on the bar.

Lytal could not either. "No, no. I wouldn't know about that," he said.

He is expecting another round of litigation in the case, since he does not anticipate the nightclub's insurance carrier to just pay the $650,000 judgment. Lytal said they were forced to sue the Cheetah and Shageer after the insurance company wouldn't pay.

Ireland suffered broken bones around his eye and in his nose and now has permanent double vision and frequent dizziness, Lytal said.

Strip club lawsuits have centered on the hazard of sky-high platform shoes strippers frequently wear.

In New York, a man sued after a stripper giving him a lap dance swiveled and smacked him in the face with her shoe. A Broward man sued after a woman's stiletto flew off during a pole dance, shattering a mirror and cutting him.