Michigan Thumb Bar Loses Appeal in ’06 Attack on Customer

A bar in Michigan’s Thumb can’t shed liability for an attack on a Detroit-area hunter whose friend had danced with another man’s wife.

The state appeals court on Friday refused to overturn a jury verdict against Longshot Lanes in Bad Axe. Carl Schnorr’s jaw was wired shut for four months after the December 2006 incident.

The 40-year-old Macomb County man says he was attacked outside the bar when he tried to help his friend, who was being dragged out by bouncers around last call. Schnorr sued the bar, claiming it was negligent because it failed to quickly contact police when there was a confrontation on the dance floor.

A jury in 2010 found Longshot Lanes was 45 percent responsible for Schnorr’s injuries. The bar was ordered to pay $160,000.