A Farmington woman and her daughter have filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the PeoplesBank Arena, alleging they were injured when an intoxicated spectator jumped on them during a Hartford Wolf Pack hockey game last year. Barbara Friedman and her daughter, Rebecca Friedman, filed a complaint in Hartford Superior Court on April […]
A Farmington woman and her daughter have filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the PeoplesBank Arena, alleging they were injured when an intoxicated spectator jumped on them during a Hartford Wolf Pack hockey game last year.
Barbara Friedman and her daughter, Rebecca Friedman, filed a complaint in Hartford Superior Court on April 29, 2025, against multiple defendants, seeking damages greater than $15,000.
The Wolf Pack are the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred March 7, 2025, during the second period of a Wolf Pack game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the downtown Hartford arena.
An arena employee was launching promotional merchandise into the crowd when a nearby spectator jumped over the Friedmans to catch a piece of the flying merchandise, and then landed on top of them.
The lawsuit alleges that the arena’s sports bar and sportsbooks illegally served alcohol to the spectator while he was “visibility intoxicated,” in violation of state statutes.
The state's Dram Shop Act holds bars liable for up to $250,000 in damages caused by intoxicated patrons. The act can be applied when bartenders continue to serve patrons after they appear to be drunk.
The lawsuit also names the city of Hartford, which owns the arena, and the Capital Region Development Authority, which manages it.
Barbara Friedman alleges the incident caused neck pain, head pain, headaches and a concussion, along with physical and emotional suffering. Rebecca Friedman claims she suffered neck, back and shoulder injuries, including a torn labrum.
The lawsuit states some of the injuries may be permanent, and both women incurred medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity.
The complaint accuses various defendants of negligence, including negligent security, premises liability, and negligent hiring and training. It alleges the arena was overcrowded, that staff unreasonably created a hazardous condition by launching merchandise into a dense crowd, and that security personnel failed to adequately monitor or control unruly behavior.
The lawsuit — filed by attorney Garrett M. Moore Jr. of Moore, O’Brien & Foti in Middlebury — seeks monetary damages, interest and costs.
An attorney for the CRDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 16,000-seat arena opened in 1975 as the Hartford Civic Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Exhibit Center. CRDA has a contract with Oak View Group to manage the venue’s operations.
