Bam Margera’s lawyers succeed in delaying his Chester County civil trial and replacing the judge
Margera was sued by Matthew Sharpler, who was injured while riding a motorcycle intoxicated during a party at Castle Bam, a lawsuit alleges.
A civil trial involving former Jackass star Bam Margera was scheduled to start this week but his attorneys got a delay and the presiding judge replaced by recently unearthing a 17-year-old case involving both the actor and the judge, according to court records.
Margera, 45, who spent a week in jail in September for violating his probation terms and was released in favor of rehab, has been accused in a civil lawsuit of creating dangerous conditions at his Pocopson Township property, Castle Bam, that led to a motorcycle crash.
Judge Anthony T. Verwey, the judge assigned to the civil case, represented Pocopson Township as an attorney in a 2007 zoning issue against Margera. On Jan. 3, attorneys for Margera requested that Verwey recuse himself, citing the old case and alleging that the judge was managing the current civil case in a biased way toward their client.
And even though Margera was represented at the time by one of the attorneys who represents him in the current case, Eugene Malady, according to court records, Margera’s legal team said they had just recently made the connection that Verwey was involved in both matters.
Verwey recused himself Wednesday, two days after the trial had been slated to begin, but also admonished Malady and the three other attorneys for Magera: Jamie Goncharoff, Andrew Webb, and John Wutz.
He noted in the recusal order two additional efforts by Margera’s lawyers to delay the trial, and rejected the notion that he was biased or conflicted. He wrote ithat he doesn’t want to reward Margera’s lawyers’ “lack of professionalism, candor, preparation, etc.” Still, the judge delayed the trial and ordered it be assigned to a new judge.
“It’s the court’s obligation to protect public confidence in the administration of justice and the judiciary,” Verwey wrote.
The lawsuit was brought by Matthew Sharpler in 2021.
Sharpler was a party guest at Castle Bam in 2019, according to the complaint. The property was once a farm, but under Margera’s ownership it became a Jackass-inspired playground of sorts with indoor and outdoor skateparks, and structures intended for skateboarders, cyclists, motorcyclists, and ATVs. Castle Bam also hosted live music, and alcohol and drugs were “regularly furnished to guests,” the complaint said.
Sharpler, represented by attorney Henry McHugh, alleges in the complaint that he was visibly intoxicated after receiving drugs and alcohol, and was taking turns with other guests riding a motorcycle around the property when he crashed, the complaint says. He was transferred by helicopter to the intensive care at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in West Philadelphia, where he was treated for injuries including traumatic brain injury and fractures.
The lawsuit accuses Margera of failing to take measures to prevent the “hazardous conditions” that led to the crash, specifically the combination of alcohol, drugs, vehicles, and stunt features.
“Plaintiff is one of the unfortunate casualties arising out of the environment and conditions at Castle Bam,” the lawsuit said.
In court filings, attorneys for Margera say the injuries were the result of Sharpler’s own actions, riding a dirt back after having consumed alcohol and drugs. As the host, Margera had “no duty to protect against open and obvious conditions or risks voluntarily taken by the guest,” his lawyers argued.
A new judge had not been assigned as of Friday, according to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas docket. Attorneys for Margera and Sharpler did not respond to requests for comment.