CHICAGO, IL - A Petition was filed yesterday afternoon in the Circuit Court of Cook County against The Blue Man Group by a 65-year-old grandfather from California seeking unspecified damages of more than $50,000 for battery, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress when the group's cast members forced a video camera down his throat during a performance on Oct. 18, 2006, at the Briar Street Theatre on Chicago's north side (case no. 2008L000815).

The plaintiff — James Srodon — is represented by the Chicago law firm of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Antonio M. Romanucci, a principal in the firm, said that Srodon was seated in the audience with his 8-year-old grandson when two Blue Men approached him, circled around, held his neck and arms and forced his head back against his will to insert the camera.

The Petition claims that the so-called "esophagus cam," used to project an image of Srodon's mouth and throat on the screen, was "covered in food, liquid and grime from the Briar Street Theatre floor, including the thick blue paint used to cover the actors' faces."

"Mr. Srodon panicked when he saw his mouth and throat on the big screen on stage and sensed that his grandson was scared," Romanucci said. "What was supposed to be a Sunday afternoon outing with his grandson turned out to be a horrifying experience for both of them."

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Blue Man Productions Inc., theater owner Fox Theatricals and other related companies. Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, was named in 2007 as one of 12 injury law firms with the largest settlements in Illinois, according to Chicago Lawyer magazine's 13th annual survey. It has achieved more than three dozen recoveries for clients of $1 million or greater. The firm's largest verdict to date was for $17,682,374; the case involved a police car chase on the Eisenhower Expressway that left a bystander, the firm's client, a quadriplegic. Romanucci & Blandin, whose partners are Romanucci and Stephan D. Blandin, is located at 33 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60602, and can be reached at (312) 458-1000, or through their Web site at www.rblaw.net.