A judge has dismissed nearly all of the allegations a woman made against a River North restaurant in connection with a viral video she posted claiming she was manhandled by a security guard and thrown down stairs.
In a since-deleted video on TikTok, Julia Reel, 22, alleged that a bouncer at Hubbard Inn pulled her from a second-floor restroom and twice threw her down a set of stairs shortly after midnight March 10.
The restaurant posted its own TikTok video defending itself, juxtaposing security video of her being escorted out alongside Reel’s original video where she said she was assaulted.
Hubbard Inn later that month filed a lawsuit in Cook County alleging the woman defamed the business in her video and prompted an onslaught of negative reviews, threats and cancellations at the business at 110 W. Hubbard St.
In July, Reel filed seven counterclaims in the lawsuit accusing Hubbard Inn and the bouncer, who is not named in the allegations, of battery, inflicting emotional distress, defamation and false light regarding the alleged incident and the bar’s TikTok video posted in response to Reel’s video.
Cook County Judge Patrick Sherlock dismissed six of the seven claims Wednesday — allowing one allegation of battery against the establishment itself to continue.
The judge dismissed Reel’s claims of battery and infliction of emotional distress against the employee because the employee was not named in her allegations.
The other accusations of emotional distress, defamation and false light that Reel made against Hubbard Inn were dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence to support them, the judge wrote in his ruling.
Reel “has failed to provide any allegations that would lead to a finding that the bouncer’s conduct was extreme and outrageous for which [Hubbard Inn] can be held liable,” Sherlock wrote.
“By no means did [Hubbard Inn] make any insults or call [Reel] a liar, as [Reel] alleges. Additionally, although [Reel] claims [Hubbard Inn] acted with actual malice, the statements made by [Hubbard Inn] do not support malicious intent but rather a means by which to remediate the damage [Hubbard Inn] faced as a result of [Reel’s] original TikTok video.”
In a statement, Hubbard Inn said the dismissal of six of the seven claims “affirms our longstanding commitment to operating with integrity and respect for our guests and their safety.”
“After enduring months of smears on social media, we’re thankful the court recognized the majority of the claims for what they are — rubbish,” the statement said. “At Hubbard Inn, we pride ourselves on fostering a welcoming environment for all guests and employees. We thank our patrons and staff for their unwavering support and look forward to continuing to serve our community with excellence.
Hubbard Inn’s lawsuit against Reel was continued. A status hearing in the case was set for April.
“We look forward to winning our defamation case against her,” the restaurant said in a statement.
