Bartender says he didn’t cause death

Erica D. Johnson

Monday, Jan. 13, 2003 | 9:27 a.m.

A bartender named in a wrongful death civil lawsuit against a local topless club told jurors Friday that he fought with a California man seven years ago, but had nothing to do with his death.

Darren Bruy, a bartender at the Crazy Horse Too strip club, testified before District Court Judge Nancy Saitta in the lawsuit filed by Camille Fau of Carson, Calif.

Camille Fau is suing the club in the death of her husband, Scott Fau, an interstate truck driver who got into a fight with club employees on Aug. 4, 1995. His body was later found near railroad tracks behind the club.

Michael Muscato, the club's manager, was also named in the suit.

Before getting her phase of the case under way, defense attorney Marsha Stephenson had asked Saitta for a dismissal, saying attorney Randall Pike had proved no connection between the fight at the club and Fau's death.

Pike alleges Fau returned a second time and another fight occurred, which caused Fau's death.

Saitta denied the motion, saying it would be left up to a jury to decide.

Bruy testified that his only interaction with Fau was when he tried to break up a fight between Fau and Paul Luca, who is now deceased, near the bar. Bruy said he did not know what the fight was about.

Bruy attempted to lead Fau out of the club, he testified, but the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Fau would not cooperate.

"Punches were thrown," Bruy said. "He was so loud and wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. He was just kicking and screaming. He had the craziest look in his eye. He was very angry at Paul. He just kept saying I'm going to kill this (expletive)."

When police arrived at the scene, they ordered Fau to leave the club and issued him a warning for trespassing.

Bruy went to University Medical Center Quick Care with a hurt hand, which doctors later determined was broken, he testified. He said he returned to the club a few hours later and completed his shift.

Under cross-examination, Bruy said he never saw Fau again and didn't learn of his death until Metro homicide detectives contacted him about two weeks later.

Muscato was not present during the initial confrontation, but an entertainer told him there might be "a problem" between Luca and Fau, he testified.

Under cross-examination, Muscato said he did not try to intercede in the confrontation because he did not think it would "explode as quickly as it did."

There are surveillance cameras inside the club, but they were not operating the day of the incident, Muscato testified.

Dr. Charles Green, former chief medical examiner for Clark County who performed an autopsy on Fau, testified that Fau had bruises on both eyes, abrasions on his arms and legs, a broken ankle, a broken nose and a bruise on the left side of his head.

None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening and Green was unable to determine the cause of Fau's death, he testified.

"It left us scratching our heads," he said. "I finally came to the conclusion that I don't know. In my opinion, this is still an undetermined death."