Jury awards no damages in civil case against former Steeler Okobi
Even though former Pittsburgh Steeler Chukky Okobi was negligent during a bar fight in the South Side in 2012, he neither assaulted nor battered a bouncer and won't have to pay him damages, an Allegheny County jury decided Thursday.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for about two hours. The civil trial began Wednesday before Common Pleas Judge Paul F. Lutty Jr.
Joseph J. Kania sued Okobi, 36, for injuries he suffered during the brawl on the back deck of Bar Room on East Carson Street on Aug. 25, 2012. Kania claimed Okobi punched him in the face, leaving him with a concussion for several days.
Okobi said he felt vindicated by the jury's decision.
“It's good to see the justice system worked the way it should,” he said.
Okobi was originally charged with five counts of simple assault. A district judge dismissed four of those charges, but allowed the fifth to go to trial. Prosecutors reduced that count to harassment, to which Okobi pleaded guilty. A judge fined him $100 and ordered him to pay $2,600 for Kania's medical bills.
Kania then filed the civil suit.
Kania's lawyer, Lawrence Fisher, said the verdict spoke for itself and declined further comment. During his closing arguments Thursday morning, Fisher apologized for calling Okobi a “common thug.”
“Mr. Okobi is not a common thug,” he said. “Mr. Okobi is an uncommon thug.”
Fisher said Kania was not “looking for a payday.”
“This is a man looking for justice. This is a man looking for accountability.”
Okobi's lawyer, Brittani Hassen, said she thought it was Kania's lack of evidence that led the jury to its decision. There were no eyewitnesses and medical records did not report any bruises. Hassen questioned how a 300-pound man assaulted a 190-pound man without leaving a mark.
“Because it didn't happen,” she said.
Okobi, who played seven NFL seasons, including from 2001 to 2006 with the Steelers, now runs The Mansion at Maple Heights, a bed and breakfast in Shadyside.
Adam Brandolph is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-391-0927 or abrandolph@tribweb.com.
