SC man celebrating upcoming birthday beaten at Carolina Forest restaurant, suit says
An Horry County man celebrating his upcoming birthday at a Carolina Forest restaurant and bar was beaten while tending to another customer beaten by the same man, a lawsuit said.
David “Brett” Stout claims he was at Tavern at the Forest, 4999 Carolina Forest Blvd., on June 20, 2022, with friends for a trivia event when he became the victim of a man who appears to be a regular customer and known to staff as a person with a violent history.
Stout is suing the restaurant and its parent company, Rav LLC.
A message left for the restaurant was not returned by publication.
The lawsuit said that when the trivia event ended about 10 p.m., Stout was seated at one of the restaurant’s patio tables closest to the main entrance, talking with another customer.
At that time, a man riding a motorcycle arrived at the restaurant and eventually came out to the patio and began assaulting the victim who was standing near Stout. The man eventually stopped punching the victim after the victim became unconscious and fell to the ground.
The man then looked at Stout and said in a threatening tone, “You didn’t see s***,” and went back inside the restaurant, the lawsuit said.
Stout, a trained and certified paramedic, noticed blood pooling under the victim’s head and began to tend to the victim, asking the bartender to call 911.
Tavern employees and customers eventually came outside to help the victim. Once the victim was seated, Stout sat down at his own table, awaiting the arrival of emergency personnel.
About 10 minutes later, the man returned to the patio and began attacking the victim again. Because restaurant staff did not intervene and an ambulance nor police had arrived, Stout asked the man to stop, stating that if he continued to beat the victim, “you could kill him,” the lawsuit filed May 30, 2025, said.
The man then turned his aggression on Stout, beating him about the face and head for several minutes, the suit said.
During the attack, two customers called 911. However, Tavern staff never attempted to remove the man from the premises or provide any security to the customers, including the victim and Stout, the lawsuit said.
The man fled the restaurant before police arrived.
Stout’s injuries required extensive medical treatment, the suit said.
The restaurant and staff should have anticipated criminal conduct as it was “on actual and constructive notice of the dangers its premises posed to its patrons and visiting public,” the suit said. The suit claims that prior violent acts, including assaults on customers and employees, have taken place at the restaurant since 2021.
The suit claims the restaurant had a duty to protect, screen efficiently, warn, and provide security for those on the business’ premises. The suit also claims that the restaurant is negligent in its hiring and training of employees to handle hostile and dangerous conditions.
Stout says he received injuries to his face, right eye, right orbital bone, nose, teeth and jaw. He is asking for medical expenses and future medical treatment.
Plaintiff seeks a jury trial to recover damages in excess of $7,500, the suit said.
