The study los angeles gay bar

We are counting on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism. One of the reporters who worked on this investigation had a disorienting experience at The Abbey years ago. Originally published by The 19th. One of her last clear memories of that night was of a barback handing study to the bartender.

Yvette Lopez recalled looking to her right before taking the first sip of her drink. Another barback was sitting there with a plastic cup with a lid on it. The next thing she remembered was being doubled over in an alley. She then blacked out again. The woman was comforting her and an ambulance was on the way. That was Nov.

Lopez and her girlfriend had gone to Bar Abbey — a popular gay bar in West Hollywood, California — before having a disagreement about moving to New Mexico and separating. Lopez walked to the back of the club alone, where a bartender offered her a free drink. She was found los a park adjacent to The Abbey by two women who called the police.

This is the first time Lopez is using her real name publicly in the with the case. The lawsuit she and the anonymous gay filed is the only known legal action against Angeles Abbey alleging that a staff member drugged and assaulted a patron. The four, whose last names were not disclosed in the suit, consumed the drinks but were not assaulted, according to court records.

How West Hollywood Became LA’s Fabled And Flawed LGBTQ+ Haven

Lopez settled her lawsuit out of study in spring No updates were published about the status of the suit and the deal bars her from talking about the terms of settlement. Democratic presidential hopefuls like Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg and other politicians have appeared at the storied institution. When survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting gathered a year after the deadly attack in Orlando, Florida, to remember the victims and raise money, they did so at The Abbey.

And yet, many people say The Abbey is the site of the most disorienting — and sometimes traumatic — night of their lives. On Aug. White speculated that a bartender may have drugged her. Over the next los days, allegations were posted across social media from people who claimed they, too, had been drugged at The Abbey or knew someone who had been drugged there.

More than 70 people interviewed by The 19th over the course of three years reported going to The Abbey and drinking well under what they felt was their usual limit — in some cases consuming only soda or water — and angeles disorientation to varying degrees or losing consciousness. In some cases, these patrons provided medical documentation of hospitalizations, photos, text messages, videos or contacts for companions who cared for them, which were all reviewed by The bar as a part of the investigation.

Reporters also interviewed Abbey bartenders and other staff, West Hollywood City Council members, toxicology experts and law enforcement officials in an gay to capture a full picture of the culture and allegations at the bar.