Lawsuit Blames Strip Club for Man's Drowning

Victim's father claims man drowned after he was kicked out of VIP’s Gentlemen’s Club

The father of a man who drowned in the Chicago River after he was allegedly kicked out of a Near North Side gentlemen’s club has filed a lawsuit against the establishment.

Ryan McClelland was a patron at VIP’s Gentlemen’s Club at 1531 N. Kingsbury St. on April 6 before he was removed about 1:47 a.m., according to a suit filed by his father Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

According to the suit, McClelland sustained injuries resulting in his death after he was removed from the club.

Authorities recovered McClelland’s body from the Chicago River near the 1000 block of West Weed Street at 7:50 p.m. on April 6, police said at the time. The 30-year-old had been a resident of Elk Grove Village, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

An autopsy performed April 7 found that McClelland drowned. Alcohol intoxication was a secondary cause of death, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The three-count suit claims wrongful death by VIP’s by not helping McClelland safely exit the club’s premises, which he needed “due to his condition.” The suit seeks at least $150,000 in damages.

VIP’s declined to comment on the suit Wednesday evening.
 

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