Earle v. Colonial Theatre Co.

On August 23, 1972, while a patron in the now closed Colonial Theatre on the edge of downtown Detroit, plaintiff was shot in the right ear in an unprovoked attack by a stranger.1 Although suffering serious injury and loss of hearing in one ear, plaintiff recovered and sued defendant for damages, claiming defendant did not exercise reasonable care for his safety. Specifically, plaintiff offered evidence of previous criminal activity in or about the theatre and asserted defendants were thus placed on notice of an unreasonable risk of harm to patrons which imposed a duty on defend*56ants to…