Local man sues over painful Preds game

Mt. Juliet resident alleges he was attacked on his way to the bathroom, wants $1 million in civil suit

Email | Print By Glenna DeRoy

Van Schwendimann

A Predators game turned ugly away from the ice a year ago when a Mt. Juliet man got more than he expected from a mid-game bathroom break.

David Reynolds is accusing Van Schwendimann Sr., who retired more than a year ago from the Brentwood Veterinary Clinic, of shoving him to the ground as he was making his way up some stairs during a Preds-Red Wings tiff in February 2007.

According to a civil suit filed in Davidson County Circuit Court, Reynolds got up and asked why he had been pushed only to receive a punch in the face. Schwendimann, a Franklin resident who ESPN says has taken home more than $5,000 in bass fishing prize money, also may have hit Reynolds with an umbrella and metal cups, according to the suit. Reynolds also said his glasses were smashed and camera broken during the altercation.

An employee of what was then still the Gaylord Entertainment Center witnessed the event and said the defendant had assaulted the victim, according to the charges. Schwendimann and his attorneys have until March 21 to respond to the suit. He also faces a related criminal trial on aggravated assault charges, set to begin July 21.

It appears Schwendimann has been charged with assault before and was represented by Donald Schwendimann in that case, now closed. It is not clear if Donald Schwendimann will represent him in this case as well. He did not return calls for comment.

Reynolds, who says the injuries from that night sent him to the hospital for surgery and kept him out of work, wants $1 million dollars out of the civil suit. Brody Kane, of Lannom, Williams & Kane in Lebanon, is representing Reynolds and said he did not have much to add at this time.

"We're just looking forward to having our day in court and letting the jury decide what should be done," he said.

To download the suit, click here.