Alleged assault at Bridgeview courthouse leads to lawsuit

An Indiana resident is suing a man he asserts assaulted him at Cook County's Bridgeview Courthouse.

Mark Schaffenberger filed a lawsuit April 15 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Jeff Howley, citing battery and negligence.

According to the complaint, the two men were at the courthouse Howley made physical contact with Schaffenberger and knocked him down stairs, causing injury.

Schaffenberger is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, plus costs, and is being represented in the case by Jeffrey S. Deutschman and Bradley A. Skafish of Deutschman & Associates P.C.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L004233.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.