Nightclub Sued Over Death Of Man

The Times Square nightclub where a woman was murdered this month is being sued for permitting another murder to happen earlier this year.

The administrator of Samir Wilkens's estate sued Spotlight Live yesterday for $10 million, saying the negligence of employees led to his involvement in a deadly knife fight on January 21. The lawsuit alleges that club employees allowed Wilkens, 20, to be assaulted, forced him outside the club into an "unruly, violent, and macabre" crowd, and ignored warnings from other patrons that one club-goer was holding a knife.

The fight that followed a few blocks away from the club left six other people injured. Wilkens died en route to Bellevue Hospital.

By ejecting Wilkens from the premises without providing him with a safe way out and away from the mob, the club sealed his fate and reneged on its responsibility to patrons, the suit claims.

In a statement, the club said, "We extend our condolences to Mr. Wilkens' family. We have not yet been served with a complaint, but have read the court filing and believe the case has no merit. Given that this is a matter of ongoing litigation, we can't comment further at this time."

On August 4, 24-year-old Ingrid Rivera was found beaten to death by a Spotlight employee, Sayed Rahman, who was subsequently arrested.