Acropolis Steakhouse Lawsuit: Wrongful Death, DUI, and Assault Cases

The Acropolis Steakhouse lawsuits include a $27.7 million wrongful death claim tied to a 2021 double homicide in the club’s parking lot, a nearly $15 million suit over a fatal 2015 drunk driving crash, and a $50,000 suit over a dancer who threw a beer glass at a customer. The Southeast Portland strip club and steakhouse, owned by the Polizos family since 1976, has also been the site of a 2023 hate crime attack on its staff. The property was listed for sale in December 2025 at $1.95 million, and the business remains open.¹

The $27.7 Million Wrongful Death Suit

On February 27, 2021, two men were shot and killed in the Acropolis parking lot. William “Billy” Peters, 40, a print shop owner, died at the scene. Adam David-Lawrence Arrambide, 36, died at a hospital the next morning. According to friends of the victims, Peters, his brother, Arrambide, and Arrambide’s brother were in a Toyota truck trying to leave the lot when another car blocked them in. Peters and others got out to investigate, and gunfire broke out.² No arrests have been made, and the Portland Police Bureau’s investigation remains open.³

Exactly two years after the shooting, on February 27, 2023, Peters’ brother Tyson Custer filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Acropolis Steakhouse and building owner Diane Polizos. The suit sought more than $27.7 million in damages, allocated as:⁴

$25 million for Peters’ mother, father, and daughter
$1.5 million for Custer’s mental and emotional distress
$1.2 million for Peters’ pain and suffering between the shooting and his death
$5,730 for burial and funeral expenses

The complaint alleged the Acropolis failed to provide adequate parking lot security, failed to train staff to identify threats, failed to follow Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission rules on alcohol service, and failed to warn patrons about the risk of assault on the premises. It also claimed the business served Peters alcohol while he was “visibly intoxicated,” contributing to the fatal confrontation. According to the suit itself, the business was closed when the two men drove into the lot, and Peters was already highly intoxicated when he engaged the occupants of the other vehicle. Diane Polizos declined to comment, citing the active criminal investigation.⁴

The $15 Million Drunk Driving Crash Suit

In May 2017, Amy Osborne-Clarke filed suit against the Acropolis seeking nearly $15 million in damages tied to a June 12, 2015, crash. According to the complaint, patron Randal Corbin had been celebrating a birthday at the club, drank heavily, and was served additional alcohol despite being visibly intoxicated. Court documents said employees watched Corbin drive the wrong way through the parking lot, redirected him into the correct lane, and allowed him to leave.⁵

Corbin then drove a Nissan 300ZX head-on into Osborne-Clarke’s Honda Pilot on Highway 500 in Vancouver, Washington. His blood alcohol content was reportedly twice the legal limit. Corbin and his passenger died. Osborne-Clarke suffered 13 broken bones and a serious head injury, with medical bills approaching $1 million by the time she filed. No final outcome was reported in the available coverage.⁵

The Beer Glass Suit

In March 2018, Cholo Circulado, a 28-year-old from the Seattle area, sued the Acropolis for $50,000. He alleged that on March 26, 2016, dancer Aryanne Elyse Curcio threw a beer glass at his head, leaving forehead scars and sending him to Milwaukie Providence Hospital.⁶

Circulado acknowledged he had directed lewd comments at Curcio and thrown a dollar bill folded into a paper airplane that struck her head. Curcio told police she threw the glass in response but did not intend for it to shatter, adding that she “might have overreacted.” The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office charged Curcio with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault in July 2017, and a prosecutor sought an arrest warrant that September.⁷

Rather than sue Curcio personally, Circulado targeted the club, arguing it was vicariously liable for its employee. The suit also faulted the Acropolis for continuing to serve beer in glass containers despite prior customer injuries and for failing to warn patrons that lewd comments toward dancers would not be tolerated.⁸ No final outcome of either the civil or criminal case was reported in the available coverage.

2023 Hate Crime Attack on Staff

Not every high-profile incident at the Acropolis has involved the club as a defendant. On May 28, 2023, patron Justin Anthony Gates, 32, attacked a bouncer and the club manager after being asked to leave for shouting anti-Semitic slurs and racial epithets. Prosecutors said Gates punched the security guard repeatedly, fracturing his orbital bone and causing a hemorrhage behind the eye that required surgery and a metal plate implant. Gates also punched the manager in the throat and face and smashed a plate glass takeout window, causing about $1,000 in damage.⁹

Prosecutors alleged Gates shouted “white power,” made white nationalist hand gestures, and specifically targeted the security guard with anti-Semitic abuse. When he was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center, officers found that his phone’s background image was a photograph of Adolf Hitler.¹⁰

Gates was arraigned on May 30, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree assault, fourth-degree felony assault, a bias crime, criminal mischief, burglary, and harassment. He was initially released after posting $400 on a $4,000 bail. After prosecutors added the bias crime charge, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Melvin Oden-Orr ordered him held without bail.⁹ Gates had eight prior convictions in Clackamas and Multnomah Counties dating back to 2010, ranging from assault to burglary.¹⁰

Ownership and Current Status

The Acropolis has been run by the Polizos family for about 50 years. Haralambos “Bobby” Polizos operated the business until his death in April 2019, when his wife and co-owner Diane Polizos took over.¹¹ In December 2025, the 4,276-square-foot building was listed on LoopNet at $1,950,000.¹ As of early 2026, the club remains open during regular hours, with occasional Monday closures or staffing-related shutdowns, and the plan is to keep operating until the building sells.¹²

1
Portland Business Journal. Acropolis for Sale: Steakhouse Strip Club
2
The Oregonian. Print Shop Owner Shot and Killed in Double Homicide Outside SE Portland Strip Club
3
Crime Stoppers of Oregon. Featured Case #21-10
4
KOIN. Brother of Man Killed Outside Acropolis Sues Strip Club in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
5
KOIN. Strip Club Sued for $15M Over Drunk Driving Crash
6
The Oregonian. Customer Sues Strip Club, Saying Stripper Threw Beer Glass at His Head
7
The Seattle Times. Man Sues Oregon Strip Club Where Dancer Threw Bottle at Him
8
Daily Mail. Customer Sues Strip Club After Stripper Threw Beer at Him
9
KPTV. DA: Portland Man Shouts White Power, Racial Slurs in Attack on Strip Club Bouncer
10
KATU. Prosecutors: Suspect Shouted White Power While Attacking Strip Club Staff
11
Willamette Week. Iconic Portland Steakhouse Strip Club the Acropolis Has Closed but Only Temporarily
12
The Bee News. Acropolis Steakhouse Remains Open but Is for Sale