Eden Bar & Grill Sued By Woman Run Over In Parking Lot

JOLIET, IL — A Joliet woman who was injured around 2 a.m. on April 3 outside the Eden Bar and Grill on Joliet's Gardner Street when another patron of rhe bar ran her over has filed a lawsuit against criminal defendant Dontayasia Stephens and the Eden Bar and Grill.

Charmiki Washington's civil lawsuit accuses Stephens, 24, of negligence, battery, willful and wanton misconduct. Her lawsuit against Eden Bar and Grill is a dram shop action. The east-side Joliet bar is also accused of negligence.

The lawsuit was filed by Joliet attorney Robert Welz of the law firm Rouskey and Baldacci on North Hammes Avenue.

According to the lawsuit, Eden Bar "sold or gave liquor to ... defendant Dontayasia Stephens, an intoxicated person at the defendant's premises located at 926 Gardner Street in the city of Joliet."

On April 3, Washington was standing just outside Eden's and "after consuming alcohol at said Eden Bar and Grill ... Dontayasia Stephens, an allegedly intoxicated person, drove her vehicle, striking plaintiff just outside the Eden Bar and Grill," the lawsuit states.

Court records indicate Washington was injured and "sustained severe and permanent injuries both internally and externally, and she has incurred and will continue to become liable for large sums of money for the care and treatment of her ... injuries ..."

The lawsuit accusing Eden's of negligence states that, "prior to April 3, 2021, it was known that there were other occasions (where) patrons were involved in violence outside the building of certain defendant, Eden Bar."

Joliet Patch has reached out to Eden for comment on the lawsuit.

Eden, carelessly and negligently, "employed said bouncers, failed to provide adequate training to its employees to perform the proper functions of serving as a bouncer/security guard, failed to properly supervise its employees ... failed to provide a safe environment for its patrons and others including the plaintiff; failed to properly monitor Dontayasia N. Stephens, a patron, after she walked out to her vehicle: (and) failed to provide medical assistance or summon emergency aid to the plaintiff in a timely manner," the Joliet law firm states.

Stephens has been charged with four counts of aggravated battery and two counts of reckless conduct, all felonies. She remains free after posting 10 percent of her $200,000 bail within one day of her arrest.

On April 5, Joliet Patch reported details of Stephens' arrest in a story headlined, "Eden's Hit And Run Driver Injures 2: Police."

According to Joliet police, squad cars rushed to Eden's, 926 Gardner St., to break up a parking lot fight shortly after 2 a.m."

"Further investigation revealed during a fight in the parking lot, a vehicle driven by Stephens struck and injured a female adult victim," Joliet police said at the time. "During the course of this incident, Stephens placed her vehicle in reverse and struck a second female adult victim. Stephens then fled the scene in the vehicle."

To read Patch's original story on the incident at Eden's, go here.