MANKATO, Minn. - The wife of a former Minnesota State University football player has sued two men convicted of causing the student's permanent brain injuries during a 2014 assault outside a bar in downtown Mankato.
The civil lawsuit filed by Molly Kolstad as guardian and conservator for Isaac Kolstad, his children and immediate family also names Blue Bricks Bar and South Street Saloon. They allege the bars illegally sold liquor to Philip Nelson, who was 20 years old at the time.
Kolstad and his family allege Nelson's intoxication directly caused his decision to start the altercation and kick Kolstad in the head. Trevor Shelley, the other man named in the lawsuit, pleaded guilty in March to felony second-degree assault in the incident during which he sucker-punched Kolstad, knocking him unconscious. Kolstad then fell to the sidewalk, fracturing his skull and injuring his brain.
The lawsuit says the incident and damages were caused by Nelson's negligence, as well as Nelson and Shelley's battery and assault of Kolstad. It also blames Blue Bricks Bar for hiring the bouncer whose decision to kiss Nelson's girlfriend enraged the former Gopher quarterback, setting in motion the events that led to Kolstad's beating.
Molly Kolstad, her husband and his family have requested a jury trial to determine damages.
