A TikToker is being sued for claiming a bouncer at a Chicago restaurant “roughed up” her and threw her down the stairs after CCTV showed her being escorted to safety.
Hubbard Inn, a chic cocktail restaurant in Chicago, has come under fire from Julia Reel, 22, who claimed in a TikTok video that she was violently kicked out of the establishment by her bouncer.
Reel alleged in her video that a bouncer pulled her from a second-floor restroom and threw her down a flight of stairs shortly after midnight on March 10. She also filed a police report making the same claims.
The 22-year-old, who is now being sued by the restaurant for defamation, was reportedly treated for bruises and a concussion in the emergency room, according to her lawyers.
After her video went viral, Hubbard Inn received backlash, including negative reviews, cancellations, and threats.
Julia Reel (pictured), a 22-year-old TikToker, is being sued for claiming a Chicago restaurant bouncer ‘roughed’ her and threw her down the stairs after CCTV showed her being escorted away safely.
Hubbard Inn, a chic cocktail restaurant in Chicago, has come under fire from Julia Reel, 22, who claimed in a TikTok video that she was violently kicked out of the establishment by her bouncer.
Reel alleged in her video that a bouncer pulled her from a second-floor restroom and threw her down a flight of stairs shortly after midnight on March 10. She also filed a police report making the same claims.
Alongside the lawsuit, Hubbard Inn uploaded a TikTok disputing all of Reel’s claims with CCTV footage revealing what really happened that night.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Cook County, Hubbard Inn alleges the woman defamed the business, located at 110 W. Hubbard Street, in making her claims.
Alongside the lawsuit, Hubbard Inn uploaded a TikTok disputing all of Reel’s claims with CCTV footage revealing what really happened that night.
“I’m just pushed down. He sends me flying down the stairs,” Reel said in the now-deleted video that has garnered more than 100,000 views, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
The Hubbard Inn TikTok showed Reel being safely escorted out of the restaurant by the security guard.
“Below is an image of Ms. Reel walking down the stairs towards the exit,” the restaurant said in its video captions. “She was politely escorted from the premises, ensuring a safe exit.”
However, Reel’s lawyers claimed the security footage presented a “misleading narrative” and that there was an unexplained two-minute gap in the video.
“Respectfully, we urge the public not to rush to judgment and/or shame the victims until all the evidence is presented in court,” said Reel’s attorneys at Corboy & Demetrio. video.
“It is undisputed that Ms. Reel suffered a concussion and presented to the hospital with visible lacerations and other evidence of significant injuries,” the video further states.
Hubbard Inn said in the lawsuit that the woman and her friend insulted staff in the second-floor restroom, leading the guard to escort the women out.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Cook County, Hubbard Inn alleges the woman defamed the business, located at 110 W. Hubbard Street, by making her claims.
However, Reel’s lawyers claimed the security footage presented a “misleading narrative” and that there was an unexplained two-minute gap in the video.
The police report says Reel reported an assault and told police a guard entered the bathroom while she was peeing and pulled her out by grabbing her arm.
The restaurant claims that the edited CCTV clips only have a 45-second interval and that the security video does not show eight steps of the staircase.
“It is not surprising that the Hubbard Inn security camera footage does not cover every square foot of the premises,” the lawsuit states. “The footage, however, shows the accused being calmly escorted…out of the establishment.”
“This clearly contradicts her false allegations that she was ‘grabbed,’ ‘manhandled,’ and ‘dragged’ out of the bathroom and down the hallway, and ‘pushed’ down the stairs, sending her down the rest from the stairs,” she “hit her head on the floor,” the lawsuit states.
The police report states that Reel reported an assault and told police that a guard entered the bathroom while she was peeing and pulled her out by grabbing her arm.
The guard allegedly said, “We know what you’re doing” and pushed her out, before she could get fully dressed after going to the bathroom, and go down the stairs.
Reel and the friend she was with went to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries, the police report states. However, the report makes no mention of concussion.
No arrests have been made in connection with this incident, according to Chicago police.