A woman has filed a lawsuit against the Paddock Shops in east Louisville after she was violently assaulted in the parking lot last year.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Brenna Blankenship, claims negligence and premises liability, citing what it describes as inadequate security and poor lighting.
Authorities arrested two individuals, Seth Jones and Malakhi Scott Weathers-Parker, following the attack that left three people hospitalized.
Court documents state that three individuals were heading to eat at Malone’s in the Paddock Shops when they shouted “say cheese” to a group posing for a photo outside the restaurant on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
An arrest report says Louisville police determined the group, including Weathers-Parker and Jones, felt disrespected by the remark. The two men initially left to take someone home, but police allege they later returned to the parking lot with a juvenile and appeared to search for the other diners. Police said the suspects went into multiple restaurants while trying to locate them.
When the victims returned to their car, Weathers-Parker, Jones, and the juvenile confronted them. A fight broke out at that point. According to police, one victim was struck with their own metal baton, while another was placed in a chokehold until they lost consciousness.
During the altercation, one victim was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, skull fractures, and a small brain bleed. Another victim sustained bruising and contusions to her leg, while a third suffered bruising and contusions across his body.
Weathers-Parker, Jones, and the juvenile fled the scene, but police said a witness saw the incident and surveillance cameras captured it.
Blankenship has now filed a lawsuit against the Paddock Shops and its operators, alleging the shopping center’s “negligent security, inadequate lighting, and absence of surveillance cameras” contributed to the attack. The suit also names Jones and Weathers-Parker.
“Brenna was tracked through this shopping center before she was ambushed in a dark parking lot,” attorney David Barber said in a news release Thursday. “The Paddock Shops had no surveillance cameras covering the parking lots, inadequate lighting, and a security response slower than nearby restaurant employees and bystanders. This attack was foreseeable and preventable.”
Filed on March 7 in Jefferson Circuit Court, the lawsuit claims the operators of the Paddock Shops “had prior knowledge of violent crimes on and around the premises and had received repeated warnings from tenants and patrons requesting security improvements.”
It further alleges that despite this awareness, the defendants “failed to install parking lot surveillance cameras, maintain adequate lighting, ensure a visible security presence, or warn business invitees of the known risks.”
The lawsuit also notes that while the Paddock Shops offered a security escort program for shoppers walking to their vehicles—”reflecting their awareness of the risks on the premises”—no notices about the program were posted near the location where the incident occurred.
According to a news release announcing the lawsuit, Blankenship suffered serious head and facial injuries that required surgery and ongoing medical treatment.
The shopping center’s operator has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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