Madison Schemitz and her mother, Jaclyn Roge, are suing Schemitz’s ex-boyfriend Spencer Pearson, his parents, and the restaurant they were stabbed outside of in June 2023.
Schemitz was 17 when she and her mother were stabbed by Pearson outside Mr. Chubby’s Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach. Kennedy Armstrong, who ran over to help save them, was also injured in the attack.
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The family is represented by local attorney John Phillips in the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday.
In the lawsuit, the family claims that Mr. Chubby’s failed to provide reasonable security, “failing to warn, frisk, use security or otherwise stop patrons from bringing weapons into the restaurant.”
Previously released surveillance video shows Spencer Pearson walking into the restaurant before the attack while Schemitz and Roge were having lunch. As soon as Pearson walks in, he can be seen on the video walking near Schemitz, letting her know he is there. She appears shocked and scared.
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When Schemitz and her mom leave the restaurant, Pearson can be seen in the video eyeing the window, checking on them. Once he sees them in the parking lot, he bolts and then attacks, stabbing them repeatedly.
The family said in the complaint that the restaurant failed “to police, patrol, guard, deter, and otherwise provide adequate protection for its customers.”
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The complaint also claims that Pearson’s family failed to get him proper mental health treatment and that “Mrs. Pearson provided her then-minor son with a knife larger than a pocket knife and failed to secure that knife despite knowledge of ongoing mental health issues.”
Of Pearson himself, the lawsuit claims that he “ignored all warnings of his escalating mental and emotional decline.” The complaint also states Pearson misused social media, his car, cellphone, direct messages, text messages, and his parents’ resources “in a way which further caused harm” to Schemitz and Roge.
You can view the full complaint below:
Complaint for Damages by ActionNewsJax on Scribd
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