September 20, 2023
THOM CARROLL/for PhillyVoice
Pat's King of Steaks is being sued over the beating death of Isidro Cortez, who was killed outside the cheesesteak shop in September 2021. It's the second wrongful death suit filed against Pat's this year.
Pat's King of Steaks has been hit with a wrongful death lawsuit for the second time this year. The newly-filed suit stems the fatal beating of Isidro Cortez, who was killed outside the South Philadelphia cheesesteak shop two years ago.
Cortez died after an argument with four other men over a soccer match turned into a violent brawl just after 2 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2021. Early last year, Omar Arce and Jose A. Flores-Huerta were charged with murder. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
The lawsuit accused Pat's of failing to safeguard its customers or intervening in the altercation that left Cortez dead. The suit was filed last week in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, according to CBS Philadelphia. It lists Pat's owner Frank Oliveri as the defendant.
"This case is about the utter failure of a well-established business located in a residential community to take even minimal public safety precautions that would have prevented the brutal beating death of Isidro Cortes in front of his father and loved ones," attorney Joel J. Feller told the station. "A family should be able to enjoy a cheesesteak free from the terror of an unprovoked and savage assault and with the assurance that the restaurant they are patronizing will take reasonable precautions for their safety."
A lawsuit filed against Pat's earlier in July faulted Pat's for not hiring security personnel to deter the shooting death of David Padro Jr. in July 2021.
Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri has declined to comment on the lawsuits, although he defended his business in a September 2021 interview. He said it was not a "public menace" and called the killings "a sign of the times."
Earlier this month, another Philadelphia cheesesteak shop decided it wasn't taking any chances when it comes to the preempting violent incidents. Jim's West, which recently reopened in West Philadelphia under new ownership, hired armed security guards to patrol outside the business during peak hours.
