Hockey players slap Johnny's Ice House with suit over June robbery

Two men are suing over claims they were robbed at gunpoint at an indoor ice rink complex on the city's Near West Side, where the Chicago Blackhawks practice.

Adam Cordell and Chris Hall filed a lawsuit Sept. 24 in Cook County Circuit Court against Johnny's Ice House Inc. and John Does 1-3, alleging negligence.

According to the complaint, Cordell and Hall were paying participants in a hockey league at Johnny's Ice House West on West Madison Avenue on June 30, when three people whose identities are not known approached them with guns drawn.

The three men pistol-whipped Hall in the side of the head and robbed Hall and Cordell of their wallets, keys, phones, currency and personal belongings, the plaintiffs claim.

After the incident and after the owners received complaints regarding security from a third party, Hall and Cordell allege the general manager sent an email suggesting that "perhaps the city was not for" them and that they should "look into playing in the suburbs."

The suit further alleges that another e-mail from the management called the third party a "coward" and informed him he was "no longer welcome" at the facility. Hall and Cordell assert these emails show management was aware of the safety concerns at the facility, but disregarded the safety of its patrons.

Their suit accuses Johnny's Ice House of being negligent in failing to provide proper security and a safe premises for its patrons.

They are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and are represented by Daniel B. Meyer and Edward C. Eberspacher of Meyer Law Group in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L009963.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in 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.