Pauly Shore sued by man for alleged battery and assault at The Comedy Store club
Comedian Pauly Shore has been accused of abetting a violent attack at The Comedy Store club a little over a year ago.
Sean Kehoe and his daughter Kirra Lyn Potts filed a lawsuit against Shore and The Comedy Store in the Los Angeles County Superior Court Thursday, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Sunday. Shore and The Comedy Store face charges of battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence, among other claims.
Kehoe and Potts allege in the 17-page complaint that Kehoe was "violently grabbed and attacked," including being dragged, during their November 2022 visit to The Comedy Store's Hollywood location in West Hollywood. The pair claims the attack was carried out by the establishment's security personnel.
"Shore knew that (the group) planned to assault Kehoe and agreed with and encouraged (them) to assault Kehoe, and…Shore intended that the assault be committed," the lawsuit reads.
As a result of the alleged attack, Kehoe suffered "severe injuries and mental and emotional distress," while Potts underwent "mental and emotional distress" in witnessing her father being injured, per the filing.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Shore and The Comedy Store for comment.
Kehoe and Potts are also accusing Shore and The Comedy Store of failing to intervene in the alleged attack on Kehoe by security staffers and for not having "adequate employees, managers, contractors and security personnel" to protect club patrons, according to the lawsuit.
Additionally, Kehoe and his daughter claim The Comedy Store and Shore were negligent in the hiring of security personnel, who were "unfit and incompetent to perform the duties for which they were hired."
Kehoe and Potts are seeking a jury trial for the case, as well as repayment of damages that cover past and future wage loss and medical expenses.
An iconic fixture of LA's Sunset Strip, The Comedy Store was founded by Shore's parents, Sammy and Mitzi Shore, and screenwriter Rudy DeLuca in 1972. Mitzi took ownership in 1974, following the couple's divorce.
Shore recalled how much his mother, who died in 2018, truly cared for the club's talent in the 2020 Showtime docuseries "The Comedy Store."
"Comics are – I don’t want to say wounded birds, but we’re a weird breed," Shore said at the time. "So, just to feel that kind of love from her. ... She had a natural instinct to develop and kind of guide someone that she felt that…had a something special."
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Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY