She’s shaken and stirred.
A Georgia resident sued a popular St. Augustine inn and a martini bar, claiming she was injured when she was hit in the head with a cocktail shaker during a May 2023 visit to the Old City, court papers state.
According to the complaint filed last month, Ruth Blake was visiting Tini Martini Bar housed on the ground floor of the Casablanca Inn on the Bay when she was struck by a martini shaker that fell from a second-floor balcony.
A guest of the inn mixed a drink and allegedly fumbled the shaker, sending it tumbling to the lower floor, according to the suit and the inn.
“Our belief is that [the guest] had balanced the shaker on the balcony ledge and accidentally knocked it over while sitting out on her porch,” a spokesperson for the Casablanca Inn told The Citizen.
The lawsuit accuses the inn of negligence for failing to install adequate safeguards against falling objects and allowing hotel guests to shake their own cocktails on their balconies.
Blake alleges she sustained significant damages as a result of the accident, including “loss of capacity to lead and enjoy a normal life,” bodily harm, medical expenses, loss of income and permanent impairment.
Blake is seeking unspecified damages over $50,000, as well as a jury trial.
She could not be reached for comment on her filing. The inn and bar share the same owner, while the building is owned by Hewlett Enterprises LP, which is also named as a defendant in the suit. The case is pending in St. Johns County court.
