Whiskey Row settles lawsuit alleging assault one month before 2021 death of another patron

Chase Murphy, whose lawsuit alleged an assault by security staff at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row a month before Dallas Barrett died after a fight there in August 2021, has settled his claims with the bar.

No specifics of the settlement agreement between Murphy and the bar are available in court records or through either party's lawyer.

Murphy's and the bar's retellings of what happened differ widely, with the two even disagreeing over what day Murphy was at the Broadway honky tonk.

In his lawsuit filed July 14, 2022, Murphy said he and his group of friends were asked to leave the bar on July 15, 2021. As he was leaving, a security guard grabbed him by the neck and called for more security while Murphy was claiming he could walk out on his own, according to Murphy's lawsuit.

According to the complaint, the guards then ripped his shorts and threw him out onto the concrete, where they assaulted him for "several minutes." He said he took significant injuries that required medical care.

The bar, in its answer to the lawsuit in September 2022, said that Murphy visited the bar July 13 — two days before Murphy said he was there — drank heavily, became belligerent and punched out a glass window.

Whiskey Row said Murphy ordered 21 drinks that night and by early morning security asked him to leave. Walking down the stairs from the rooftop bar, Murphy stopped at the second floor and began yelling at staff. Then, security picked him up and carried him out. Once outside, he got up within a minute, walked to the bar's exit door and punched the glass, shattering the window, according to Whiskey Row.

Whiskey Row argued that Murphy was at least 50% at fault for his injuries and therefore not entitled to be compensated for them. In fact, the bar claimed Murphy owed them money — the bar countersued Murphy to compensate it for the costs. That claim was settled as well.

Tony Kestner, Murphy's lawyer, said, "Generally, just in terms of how I feel about our office and the work we do (in negligence cases like this one), I always feel good about those cases and the positive impact they have."

A spokesperson for Riot Hospitality Group, which represents Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, said it would "let the court order speak for itself."

One month after the altercation between Murphy and security staff, Barrett, a 22-year-old from Smyrna who worked as a bouncer at Tin Roof, died from oxygen deprivation after an altercation with bar security at Whiskey Row during which he was held down on the floor.

Seven people, whom The Tennessean previously reported were six security guards and another man, face reckless homicide and aggravated assault charges. That criminal case appears to be moving slowly through the courts, as online records show none of the defendants have appeared in Judge Cheryl Blackburn's courtroom since January 2023.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lawsuit against Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row alleging assault settled