Satin Dolls named in lawsuit by family of man killed outside Bergen strip club
The family of the Fair Lawn man killed outside of Satin Dolls in Lodi by an alleged drunken driver has filed a lawsuit against the strip club, the driver and the men allegedly responsible for beating the victim on Route 17.
Marko Guberovic, 38, died after being struck by a BMW after he was left incapacitated in the roadway in front of the club in May 2021. Satin Dolls is well known as the Bada Bing! club from the hit HBO show "The Sopranos."
Surveillance footage allegedly shows five men beating Guberovic. Investigators determined that before the crash, Guberovic was in a fight with Ardian Hoti, 23, Fero Hoti, 24, Julio Pena, 23, Christian Reyes, 22, and Kevin Agudelo, 22, on the highway's shoulder outside the Satin Dolls exotic dance club.
Authorities say the men left Guberovic facedown in the left-hand lane of Route 17, where he was struck and instantly killed by driver Bryan Wood. Wood was later arrested because police say he was drunk when he struck Guberovic.
David Wikstrom, attorney for Guberovic's estate, said this case is "horrible."
"[Bars] have a responsibility to provide a good time, but you have to keep tabs on what people are drinking and serving," Wikstrom said.
He said a bar or a club can't push out patrons after overserving them when they see a fight brewing.
"[The bar] has to know, if they're going to be moving forward serving people, they have to know people are not going to be acting rationally," Wikstrom said. "I see this way too much."
The attorney said that from what he learned, the group of men who allegedly assaulted Guberovic were at the bar being loud and giving indications they had continued being served alcohol while already intoxicated.
"If a bar sees a fight inside, they can't just turn around and say 'go outside,' " Wikstrom said.
In addition to Satin Dolls, unnamed bartenders and owners of the club are named in the suit and accused of providing too much alcohol to the men who got into the altercation with Guberovic.
"My client vehemently denies any liability, wrongdoing, or violating any legal duty with respect to Plaintiff and we look forward to the opportunity to zealously defend this case in court," said Michael Camarinos, attorney for Satin Dolls.
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Wikstrom said as discovery continues, he will look to get receipts from Satin Dolls to see how much alcohol the men accused of killing Guberovic were served, as well as what training the bouncers receive. He is looking to gather as much information as possible to identify new parties and include them in the suit.
The suit said another bar overserved alcohol to Wood and that he was drunk when he struck and killed Guberovic. The lawsuit accuses Wood of being negligent and careless when driving, which led to Guberovic's death. Several months after the crash, Wood was charged with strict liability vehicular homicide.
Allstate Insurance Company is named in the lawsuit as well, for allegedly refusing to pay on the $250,000 policy Guberovic had for uninsured drivers when he was killed.
His family seeks a trial by jury and monetary damages.
Guberovic was a well-known sneakerhead on social media, hosting his own show on his Instagram page. He was particularly fond of Nikes and was popular within the sneaker-collecting community.
Guberovic's favorite sneakers were his many customized, or NikeID, Air Maxes. He had an Instagram sneaker show called "The Swap Heat."
His friends described him as having a big heart, with his friend James Laudicina saying he was willing to help anyone with anything.
A mural was pained in honor of Guberovic at Beaverdam Park in Fair Lawn.
Guberovic was known for providing sneakers to those in need, and there was talk of starting a foundation to give sneakers to at-risk youth in his honor.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Satin Dolls NJ: Strip club from 'Sopranos' named in lawsuit
