Rialto Square Theatre Sued By Tony Bennett Concertgoer

JOLIET, IL — The Rialto Square Theatre in downtown Joliet has been sued for general negligence and premises liability by a Joliet woman who attended the sold-out Tony Bennett concert on the night of May 10, 2019. Deanne Mesquita-Merlo fell down a flight of stairs inside the Rialto, and she suffered serious medical injuries as the result of her fall, according to her Joliet personal injury law firm, Rathbun, Cservenyak and Kozol.

Her Will County lawsuit names the Rialto Square Theatre and VenuWorks as the defendants. VenuWorks is the Ames, Iowa, entertainment company that manages the non-for-profit Rialto in Joliet. The Rialto first opened in 1926 as a Vaudeville Movie Palace and has renovated over the years to accommodate 1,971 patrons, the lawsuit noted.

In 2019, Mesquita-Merlo bought a ticket to watch the legendary music performer display his talents in Joliet. Around 9:30 p.m. the Joliet woman "was attending a live Tony Bennett concert at defendants' venue when she was caused to abruptly trip, stumble and fall while descending a flight of stairs located within the Rialto Square Theatre," court documents show.

"As a result of the fall, Deanne Mesquita-Merlo suffered serious personal injuries," her lawyers said.

When asked for comment on the lawsuit, Rialto executive director Val Devine told Joliet Patch that once an accident is reported at the theater, the matter is turned over to the Rialto's insurance carriers to investigate and handle.

The plaintiffs listed nine separate allegations of general negligence and carelessness by the Rialto. One of the allegations stated: "Rialto Theatre had a hazardous carpet pattern that dangerously obscured the nosing edge of the stairs, which were confusing to all patrons and could cause them, including Deanne Mesquita-Merlo, to catch their heels, trip, fall and be injured."

Furthermore, the Rialto "failed to have a handrail adjacent to its stairs, which was dangerous for all patrons, including Deanne Mesquita-Merlo, and deprived her of the means to arrest her fall once it began," court records indicate.

Another allegation made in the lawsuit contends that "it failed to properly train its agents, employees and staff in guest and crowd management to prevent large hordes of patrons from (trying to) move about and to exit the Rialto Theatre shortly before the performance ended."