James Meade, the St. James's Gate Publick House bartender accused of assaulting a patron in an altercation at the bar in early January, has filed his own complaint against the patron, a 24-year-old South Orange resident.

According to documents released by a public relations firm retained by the family, Meade has accused Ethan Kresofsky of assault by "attempting to cause bodily injury...by spitting in (Meade's) face and then biting his right index finger after re-entering St. James Gate Publick House after 'last call.'"

Robert D. Kuttner, a Millburn attorney retained by Meade, confirmed that a probable cause hearing to determine if Meade's complaint will move forward will be held in the Bloomfield Municipal Court on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 8:30 a.m.

Meade filed the complaint on Jan. 24, the date Bloomfield Chief Municipal Magistrate Judge John A. Paparazzo determined there was probable cause to move ahead with Kresofsky's complaint. Kuttner said Meade had not filed his complaint sooner because he was unsure of Kresofsky's name.

Kuttner said that if the judge decides there is cause to move forward with Meade's complaint, Kuttner would like both sides to be heard at the same time. Currently, that hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21.

The case originally was moved to Bloomfield because of a conflict of interest with the Maplewood municipal court judge.

In the Jan. 24 hearing, Kresofsky testified that on Jan. 8 he asked Meade, who is a son of the bar's owner John Meade, for a drink at about 1:40 a.m. and Meade allegedly said no. When asked why, Kresofsky told the judge Meade called him an anti-gay epithet. The verbal altercation soon turned violent, said Kresofsky, who said the two men spit at each other and that Meade allegedly punched Kresofsky in the face.

Kuttner said Kresofsky had bitten Meade's finger, causing him to lose time away from work. Kuttner also said Meade had photographs of his injuries.