The city of Inglewood is seeking an expedited resolution to a lawsuit filed by a San Francisco 49ers fan who was assaulted in a parking lot at SoFi Stadium during the NFC championship game in 2022. The victim was left in a medically induced coma as a result of the attack.
In a court filing submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa R. Jaskol, the city’s attorneys argue that the two claims made against it in Daniel Luna’s lawsuit – alleging negligence by public employees and loss of consortium by Luna’s wife, Irene Sulencka – are flawed and do not provide a valid basis for relief. A hearing on this motion is scheduled for August 30.
The original defendants in the lawsuit, filed on September 8 of last year, included the Los Angeles Rams and Luna’s alleged assailant, Bryan Alexis Cifuentes. Cifuentes has maintained that the altercation was an act of self-defense.
Luna and Sulencka amended their complaint on May 18, adding the city of Inglewood and Los Angeles County as defendants. The revised suit claims that the city had a responsibility to ensure the availability of designated areas, such as sobering cells or other facilities for intoxicated detainees.
The updated complaint also asserts that, like all the other defendants, the city is liable for Sulencka’s loss of consortium with her husband, including the loss of comfort, companionship, and society.
However, the city’s attorneys state in their court filing that the plaintiffs’ lawyers have failed to identify any statutory basis for direct liability against the city in both causes of action. They argue that the plaintiffs have provided only boilerplate, conclusory allegations or conclusions of law without supporting facts.
The city’s attorneys further contend that the plaintiffs’ inability to provide specific details for a cause of action regarding public employee negligence renders the loss of consortium claim insufficient as well.
The lawsuit stems from an altercation that occurred on January 30, 2022, during the Rams-49ers game for a spot in Super Bowl LVI – a game that the Rams eventually won.
Prosecutors state that Luna approached a group of people outside the stadium, which led to an altercation, during which Cifuentes allegedly struck Luna, causing him to fall to the ground.
Luna, who was wearing a 49ers jersey, was discovered by a security guard in the parking lot and transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was put into a medically induced coma due to injuries to his face and upper body.
Mayor James Butts of Inglewood stated in the days following the incident that surveillance footage showed a group of fans tailgating in Parking Lot L, and Luna appeared to have pushed Cifuentes from behind.
“The suspect then retaliated by pushing Mr. Luna from behind and striking him once in the mouth,” Butts said. “Luna then fell to the ground, where he was later found by security personnel who called paramedics.”
Cifuentes was eventually apprehended thanks to the surveillance footage, which captured the license plate of a vehicle associated with the suspect.
After his arrest, acquaintances of Luna told reporters that Luna was the aggressor in the confrontation and appeared to be intoxicated.
Luna’s friends revealed that he traveled to Los Angeles alone after his companions canceled their plans to attend the game. He is the owner of the Oakland Peruvian fusion restaurant, Mistura.
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