JUPITER, Fla. — A blind Vietnam veteran is suing an off-duty Jupiter police officer, a bar, and a bouncer. He said they changed his life in the worst kind of way.
Last August, Nelson Gosman was removed from Square Grouper, a popular hang out spot in Jupiter.
The most graphic version of the video, capturing what played out the night, was given to us by Gosman's lawyers.
"It's very upsetting," said Gosman, who spoke exclusively to WPTV anchor Hollani Davis with his attorney's earlier this year.
Gosman, who is legally blind, said that fateful night changed his life forever.
"Before I even turned back around, I was accosted from behind. I was put in a headlock and I was dragged out. I was beaten at the front door of this establishment, unconscious, knocked out," Gosman said.
Gosman went to Square Grouper on the night of Aug. 26, 2023 with his guide dog and friends. He'd been there before. This time, he said, the employee working the front entrance wasn't very welcoming.
"They gave me a hard time about bringing my guide dog in there. And I explained she is a guide dog for the blind. And I asked him if he knew the rights under the ADA," Gosman said.
Gosman is suing the off-duty Jupiter police officer who was working security that night, as well as one of the bouncers, and the bar. He believes he was discriminated against because he is blind and had his guide dog, despite protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
By law, under the act, "Businesses must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities."
Gosman said he did nothing to warrant getting kicked out.
"You kept your composure the whole time?" Davis asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Gosman replied.
But a pair of police reports tell a different story. The attorney representing Officer Austin Schnaderbeck declined our request for an interview, but Schnaderbeck said in his report Gosman "bit him" and "refused to let go" when he asked him to leave "peacefully." He said the "management" wanted Gosman removed because he was "highly intoxicated" and causing a "disturbance" not "due to his dog."
The officer said he tried to break Gosman's fall and Gosman resisted again when he attempted to handcuff him.
Schnaderbeck said Gosman hit him in the face with "his dog leash." The officer said he hit Gosman four times to get him to stop the attack.
"There were several things that occurred that night, that evening, that should not have occurred to a disabled person, much less a disabled veteran who had all of the proper identification," said Gosman's attorney, Michael Pike.
Gosman's attorneys said a toxicology test to check their client's blood alcohol level was never done.
The State Attorney's Office said after reviewing the material, it decided not to prosecute. Criminal charges against Gosman for trespassing and battery on an officer were dropped.
On its website, Square Grouper said it welcomes service animals. To try and learn more about what happened that night, Davis went there with a photographer in plain view. She was unable to speak to anyone who was involved in the incident.
The attorney representing Square Grouper and the bouncer later declined WPTV's request for an interview via email, but in court papers said the bouncer was "acting in self-defense" and that Gosman is the one who was "negligent" and caused his own "injuries."
Robert Johnson, who is also representing Gosman, said his client is scarred.
"Since this has happened, he has been to the ER multiple times because he has headaches and he vomits when he sleeps," Johnson said.
Gosman said that nearly a year later, it's not just the physical, but mental trauma that still haunt him.
"Everybody that was involved in this, I want them held accountable so that other veterans and other blind and disabled people don't have to go through the same thing that I did. That is horrific," Gosman said.
Officer Schnaderbeck, the bar, and bouncer have filed motions to dismiss the cases against them.
The bar and bouncer’s motions go in front of the judge this month. The Jupiter Police Department said Officer Schnaderbeck has had no prior complaints, nor has he been disciplined since joining the agency.
