Stool collapse at Wow Bao leads to lawsuit

A Highland Park woman is suing a restaurant in the Loop over claims she sustained injuries when the stool she was sitting on collapsed.

Sherry Sokol filed suit Jan. 28 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Wow Bao Jackson LLC, doing business as Wow Bao, a fast food style restaurant serving Asian cuisine at 175 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago.

According to the complaint, Sokol was a patron at Wow Bao on Jan. 23, when the stool she was sitting on collapsed because it had a missing screw. She claims the defendant knew or should have known the stool was in disrepair.

Sokol accuses Wow Bao of failing to provide her with a stool that had adequate support beneath it, not inspecting its stools to ensure they were structurally safe and failing to warn her not to use the stool because it had at least one missing screw.

As a result of the defendant's alleged negligence, Sokol contends she has incurred medical bills and was subjected to pain, suffering and disability. She is seeking at least $30,000 in damages and is represented by Chicago attorney Nathaniel D. Lawrence.

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 that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.