<< Dancer's breasts did not hurt Florida man - TV judge
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A topless dancer hit a nightclub
patron with her ample breasts, but did not injure him, former
New York City Mayor Ed Koch ruled in a ``People's Court'' trial
of the clubgoer's personal injury lawsuit.
Koch heard the case in New York City Wednesday and
deliberated about 20 minutes before ruling in favor of dancer
Tawny Peaks and the Diamond Dolls nightclub, the Tampa Tribune
said.
During the trial Koch instructed court officer Josephine
Longobardi to take Peaks into his chambers and examine her
breasts to see if they were as hard as plaintiff Paul Shimkonis
testified.
``They were not as dense as the plaintiff described. They
were soft,'' the newspaper quoted Harvey Levin, co-executive
producer and host of the show, as saying.
Longobardi told the judge she estimated they weighed about 2
pounds each and were 20 percent silicone and the rest natural.
Shimkonis had described Peaks' breasts as being ``like two
cement blocks.''
Shimkonis filed suit against the club in Pinellas County
Court in Florida on June 29, claiming the dancer injured him
during a performance at the Clearwater bar during his bachelor
party in September 1996. The lawsuit said she jumped on him,
forcing her extra-large breasts into his face and causing his
head to jerk backward.
Shimkonis, a 38-year-old physical therapist, sought damages
for head and neck injuries, disability, pain and suffering,
disfigurement, mental anguish and loss of capacity for the
enjoyment of life.
He opted to take the case before ``The People's Court,'' the
television show made famous by Judge Joseph Wapner, in order to
avoid a long and costly legal battle in normal channels.
All the parties agreed to accept Koch's ruling as binding
arbitration and dismiss the lawsuit.
Peaks was not named in the initial suit, but was added as a
co-defendant on ``The People's Court.''
During the trial, Koch questioned why an MRI did not show
any kind of injury and why it took Shimkonis months to see a
doctor. The plaintiff said in the past he had been too
embarrassed to seek medical attention.
``He (Koch) believed that the breasts hit Shimkonis, but he
is not convinced they caused any injury,'' Levin said.
Peaks, dressed in a conservative black-and-white business
suit, said she could not remember the incident. She tours around
the country making $4,000 or more for 24 shows over six days in
each location.
The ``People's Court'' segment, produced by Warner Bros., is
scheduled to air during the first week of September.
^REUTERS@
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