Beloved Restaurant Sued for Allegedly Overserving Mark Sanchez Before Arrest

A legendary restaurant in Indianapolis has been named in a lawsuit for allegedly overserving former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez before his arrest last month. 

Huse Culinary, the restaurant group that owns St. Elmo Steak House, has been added to the lawsuit filed by Perry Tole, the 69-year-old alleged victim of Sanchez’s who sued the football star shortly after the alleged incident. 

According to Fox 59, St. Elmo Steak House — which opened in 1902 — confirmed that Sanchez, 39, was present at an event held at the restaurant at 9 p.m. on October 3, just hours before the alleged attack. 

The restaurant group had a duty “not to sell, furnish, or serve alcoholic beverages to persons who are visibly intoxicated or otherwise impaired,” the amended lawsuit said.

Susan Decker, spokesperson for Huse Culinary, pushed back against the allegations in a statement obtained by WTHR on Saturday, November 22. 

“Huse Culinary prides itself on providing an excellent customer experience and our team conducted themselves exactly as we expect,” the statement read. “We deny the allegations in the complaint. We have fully cooperated with police during the investigation and will continue to do so.” 

Sanchez dined at St. Elmo Steak House with “several of his colleagues” and the group “left together,” according to the statement. 

The former New York Jets quarterback was in Indianapolis to broadcast the October 4 game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders. 

Sanchez, who had worked for Fox Sports since 2021, was fired by the network earlier this month, a spokesperson told Us Weekly on November 7. 

Tole was performing his duties as an employee of a company specializing in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal when Sanchez allegedly confronted him in the loading dock of the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, saying his truck was not allowed to be parked in its location. 

A violent struggle allegedly ensued, during which Sanchez was stabbed multiple times and Tole suffered a large gash to his face. 

Sanchez was arrested hours after being admitted to a local hospital and charged with three misdemeanors: battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears upgraded one of Sanchez’s charges to a level 5 felony charge during a press conference on October 6. 

The felony charge carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. 

In the initial lawsuit filed by Tole on October 6, the driver said he sustained “serious bodily injury” due to Sanchez’s “malicious, willful, wanton or grossly negligent conduct.”

Tole also claimed he suffered severe “permanent disfigurement, loss of function,  other physical injuries, emotional distress and other damages.”

The lawsuit also named Fox Sports, saying the company has an obligation to ensure that its employees conduct themselves “in a reasonable manner.”

Tole argued Fox should have been aware of Sanchez’s alleged “unfitness” and his “propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct.”

​​The lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, costs and expenses of this action, including attorney’s fees and any other relief that the court deems just and proper. 

Sanchez is scheduled to stand trial in Marion County, Indiana, on December 11.