The bassist of a popular Chicago rock band is suing a man he claims beat him unconscious as he attempted to intervene in a domestic dispute.
Matthew Leone claims Justin Pivec was battering his wife in June 2010 when Leone encountered the couple and tried to stop him -- only to be attacked himself, according to the suit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Leone, of Chicago, is the bassist for alternative rock band Madina Lake.
Pivec, also of Chicago, was charged with aggravated battery in July 2010 but was found not guilty on May 4, 2012.
According to Leone’s brother, Nathan Leone, he was left unconscious in the street and later had to have a third of his skull removed at a hospital.
In 2010, the Smashing Pumpkins held a benefit show to raise money for Leone’s healthcare expenses. At the show, Gov. Pat Quinn called Leone “a true American hero” and proclaimed it Matthew Leone Day.
The two-count suit alleges both battery and negligence on the part of Pivec for failing to help Leone after hurting him. The suit seeks more than $50,000 in punitive damages.
