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30 ■ JUNE 14, 2021

VERDICTS & SETTLEMENTS

In Hotel Brawl, New Britain Lawyer

Clinches 6-Figure Arbitration Award

By Robert Storace

New Britain attorney—
using security video of a
A ht, Freedom of Infor-
fig
mation Act requests for police
calls to the Red Roof Inn in
New Britain and the criminal
history of a hotel clerk to his
advantage—was able to clinch
a $101,359 arbitration award
for his client, who was stabbed
in a brawl in the hotel lobby.
Plaintiffs counsel Kevin Fer-
ry knew his client, Star Hendry,
had some fault in the fight that
led to her injuries. But Ferry
argued the hotel was neglectful
on several fronts.
The New Britain attor-
ney said he pieced together
what happened via the video,
the Freedom of Information
Act, or FOIA, requests and Red Roof Inn Hartford-New Britain in New Britain. Photo: Google
the criminal background of the hotel clerk, which According to Ferry, Hendry was with a party of
helped arbitrator Thomas Barrett award $168,932 in about eight teens and young adults who were asked
damages to his client Wednesday. That amount was to leave their hotel room because of noise. Soon
reduced to $101,359 because of Hendry’s compara- after, a violent altercation occurred in the lobby,
tive fault in the incident. Ferry said.
Ferry filed an amended complaint in August 2019 During a fight between Perez and Hendry’s friend,
against Hartford Lodging LLC, parent company of the plaintiff jumped into the scuffle to protect her
the Red Roof Inn. friend, Ferry said. Both sides threw punches, and
It alleged the hotel clerk was derelict in his du- Perez allegedly stabbed Hendry several times during
ties by having a friend, Geomaris Perez, stationed at the 2017 incident. In his arbitration ruling, arbi-
the front of the hotel lobby to keep an eye on guests, trator Barrett said that “Ms. Hendry was stabbed/
even though Perez wasn’t a hotel employee. slashed multiple times by Ms. Perez.”

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