Victim In Alleged Pizza Milano Attack Asks For Millions In Civil Lawsuit

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A woman who was allegedly attacked by an Uptown pizza shop manager in January is now suing for millions.

Cell phone video recorded by a customer at Pizza Milano's shows the night Jade Martin says she was attacked by Mahmut Yilmaz, an employee at the pizza shop.

Martin filed a civil lawsuit Monday against that employee and the owner of the shop, Pizza Milano Enterprises.

"Our purpose in filing the lawsuit is not to only seek recovery for Jade, for the physical and emotional injuries that she sustained, but to also hold accountable Pizza Milano and Mr. Yilmaz," attorney George Kontos said.

According to the suit filed in civil court, Martin entered the Fifth Avenue store to use the restroom. She was coming from a nearby bar for drinks after getting off work.

There were no signs posting "Restrooms for customers only." The suit contends "without warning," Yilmaz "grabbed Martin's arms and threw her against the front door ... placed his arms around her neck and pushed her violently against the floor."

" She has post-concussive syndrome," Kontos said. "She is going through vestibular therapy."

The lawsuit is asking for $35,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The suit alleges the company -- Milano Enterprises -- has a responsibility for training its employees.

"There was no policy, no procedure, no protocol that would ensure that that was done so in a way that did not cause physical harm to somebody like Jade," Kontos said. "One of our purposes is hopefully to ensure that the other aspects of Jade Martin come through. She is a hard-working mother of two kids. She has a job that she likes very much. She's had that job for several years. She's raising an 8-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. She is a very decent person."

At Yilmaz's preliminary hearing a few weeks ago, he was held on all charges.

Martin is also facing charges in the incident. Her hearing is coming up in the next few weeks.