A deadly shooting that occurred last month has led to further legal action against Elleven45 Lounge in Buckhead.
Mariam “Mari” Creighton’s parents are pursuing compensation for her tragic death at a nightclub on May 12.
Juan Umberto Creighton and Tracey Eason took legal action on Tuesday by filing a complaint in Fulton County court regarding the untimely death of their daughter. The lawsuit is based on grounds of wrongful death and seeks compensatory damages.
According to the lawsuit, the actions or inactions of the defendants resulted in a sequence of events that led to the tragic death and severe injuries of Mariam Creighton.
Atlanta police reported that a shooter opened fire during a brawl inside Elleven45, resulting in the death of Creighton, a student-athlete from Albany State University.
The occurrence took place at approximately 2:30 in the morning.
Sources report that authorities made an arrest in connection to the shooting during the early hours of Thursday.
According to the lawsuit, the club is being accused of negligence and is held responsible for allowing an armed person onto the premises, which resulted in Creighton becoming an innocent bystander. The lawsuit highlights the club’s failure to provide adequate security measures, which ultimately led to the unfortunate incident.
According to the lawsuit, Creighton would still be alive if the club had taken reasonable measures.
The lawsuit contended that the Defendants were aware or should have been aware that if they failed to implement adequate and sensible steps to minimize the risk of violent criminal activity or discourage criminal offenders from entering and lingering on the Premises, it would only exacerbate the already unreasonably high possibility of violence to individuals visiting the Premises, thus further endangering the Plaintiff’s life and increasing the likelihood of severe harm or even death. The lawsuit further asserted that had the Defendants taken reasonable precautions, Mari Creighton would still be with us today.
In the previous month, Michael Seiden from Channel 2 had a conversation with Creighton’s family while he was in Henry County.
According to family members, Creighton was out enjoying her niece’s birthday festivities on the night of the shooting. Unfortunately, her niece, Taylor Holmes, who is 22 years old, suffered a leg injury as a result of the incident.
On May 17, the attorney representing Creighton and Holmes issued a statement which declared that Mariam and Taylor were both customers at Elleven45 Lounge when a dispute broke out, leading to gunfire on Mother’s Day, May 12. The statement emphasized that the two were innocent bystanders who fell victim to a senseless tragedy.
Atlanta is currently pursuing legal action against the nightclub by filing a lawsuit and seeking a temporary restraining order in an attempt to close down the well-known establishment located on Peachtree Road.
On May 24, the city’s attorneys filed a complaint requesting the courts to classify the business as a public nuisance. The complaint alleges that the establishment did not provide sufficient security and safety measures to ensure the protection of its customers and those nearby.
According to the complaint, there have been several incidents since 2020 where the APD has been called to respond to fatal shootings, attempted shootings, stabbings, threats of harm, physical altercations, larceny, and disorderly conduct. In total, there were at least 12 calls for service related to these incidents.
On Thursday morning, the Fulton County Superior Court will hold a hearing for the lawsuit filed by the city.
Last month, the club made an announcement on Instagram that it would be shutting down its operations on May 12 to review and improve its security protocols. In the post, the club expressed that the recent lawsuit filed against the city was a deeply painful moment for the community. However, the establishment assured its followers that the incident was isolated and does not represent its operational practices or safety record.
