Spiked drink allegation results in one-day suspension for Cambridge music venue

A Cambridge live music venue is awaiting notification of a one-day suspension for its handling of a drugged drink allegation last year.

The Cambridge License Commission voted on Tuesday night to issue the suspension to the Sinclair in Harvard Square at a later date.

The Board said the establishment failed to call an ambulance or police after a patron alleged to have been drugged on the premises.

Ilana Katz Katz, the woman who alleges her drink was spiked, told Boston 25 News that she hopes it will send a clear message to other venues.

“If I say I’ve been drugged in a venue, it’s not the venue’s fault,” said Katz Katz. “But it is illegal to involuntarily drug someone, and they need to take every instance seriously.”

Katz Katz said she went to the ER on that night back on September 30th.

Her husband filed a report with police the following day, and an investigation has since concluded with nobody charged with a crime.

“I said I had been drugged. They should have called the police immediately,” she said. “I believe there’s a good chance somebody wanted to drug me and take me and possibly sexually assault me.”

From her point of view, there’s no question that the establishment should have handled things differently right then and there.

“I was throwing up and screaming for more than an hour,” she recalled. “I know it wasn’t a result of drinking alcohol.”

The Cambridge License Commission has been reviewing the allegations for nearly seven months now.

It’s determined that staff was not prepared on how to handle non-consensual drugging cases.

“The testimony provided by the establishment contradicted itself. One person stated there was a policy on how to deal with non-consensual drugging cases. The other stated that there was none,” said Nicole Murati Ferrer, chair of Cambridge License Commission at Tuesday’s meeting.

The date of suspension is expected to be announced once the Board adopts the statement of reasons in a few weeks.

“It is unconscionable that after so many notifications, what is out there, what is known, the meeting and visit from the city… that employees on the floor were not trained on how to handle this matter,” said Ferrer.

A spokesperson for the Sinclair released the following statement to Boston 25 News:

“We have not received notification of the decision so any comment would be premature at this time. We are aware of the ongoing citywide incidents and have implemented security measures at the venue. Our goal, as always, is to provide a safe and enjoyable evening for all of our patrons.”

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