A Texas restaurant is facing a lawsuit after a neighbor accused it of endangering children by installing a jungle gym on allegedly dying trees. Richard Fontenot, who resides adjacent to Long Weekend in Houston, filed the legal action on Wednesday, seeking a temporary shutdown of a playground supported by two trees, according to a filing cited by Chron.
Allegations of Imminent Danger
Fontenot claims that the restaurant constructed a rope structure around the trees, creating an 'imminent risk of catastrophic bodily injury or death to children using the structure if either the trees or the attached apparatus fails,' as stated in the complaint. He is also pursuing an emergency temporary restraining order to close the playground until safety concerns are addressed.
The neighbor asserts that the trees—a water oak and an Arizona ash—partially sit on his property, and multiple master arborists have examined them. According to the lawsuit, one arborist discovered that the water oak suffers from Ganoderma root rot. The tree expert warned that the root rot 'will break at the ground and fall over in the near future [and] can't stress enough how dangerous this situation is.' They added that the area should be fenced off as a 'deadly drop zone.'
Restaurant's Defense
Long Weekend describes itself as 'a premier destination [for] family, food, live entertainment and sports coverage,' featuring both indoor and outdoor spaces. Its website states: 'The concept features an expansive outdoor area for children to play, giving parents the freedom to socialize over craft cocktails and elevated wood-fired meals.'
A recent Google review depicted the restaurant as chaotically busy: 'Even as a grown adult I was over-stimulated.' The guest noted that many families ignored the stated rules for parental supervision in the playground: 'There was not an adult for each kid or sets of kids. In fact, I'm not sure there would be enough space for both kids and adults to be in the play area if the 'rule' was observed.'
Long Weekend's legal counsel opposed Fontenot's complaint on Tuesday, according to Chron. The restaurant's attorneys denied the allegations, arguing that an accident 'is no more likely to happen than any other playground tragedy.' They stated: 'Children only gain entry with their parents in tow and, as a rule, parents are pretty good supervisors.' The lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the case.
Next Steps
As the legal proceedings move forward, a hearing is expected to determine whether the playground can continue operating. The Daily Mail has reached out to Long Weekend for comment.
