Lawsuit alleges unprovoked attack at Steelers-Bengals game

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A Cincinnati Bengals fan who pleaded guilty to assaulting a Steelers supporter now faces a civil lawsuit alleging an attack at a January 2025 game in Pittsburgh.

It was the Bengals’ fifth win in a row to finish that season, but Will Hipkiss’ lawsuit alleges Joseph Voss punched him anyway and caused injuries like an orbital fracture and broken nose. Both men were wearing their favorite team’s jersey, the suit says.

And Voss said there “had been absolutely no interaction between the parties.”

“Instead,” he continues, “the defendant, drunk and unable to control himself, engaged in an unprovoked act of violence.”

Though lawsuits over violence at sporting events also often name the team, venue and security companies as defendants, Hipkiss is only suing Voss at this moment. Voss pleaded guilty to simple assault in July and was sentenced two years of probation and anger management classes.

It’s that anger that mixed with alcohol, Hipkiss says, that led to the punch after the Bengals had secured the win. The suit makes claims for negligence and assault and battery and says given the guilty plea, “it is established beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed that offense. Accordingly, he is civilly liable.”

The suit seeks compensation for medical bills, pain, suffering, inconvenience and the loss of life’s pleasures. Attorney Thomas Berret represents the plaintiff.