Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against CNN’s Don Lemon Dropped
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A bartender who claimed CNN anchorman Don Lemon had assaulted him in a bar has dropped his lawsuit.
听In a statement, Dustin Hice said, 鈥淎fter a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit.鈥�
听鈥�As a result, I am dropping the case,鈥� concluded the statement provided by Hice鈥檚 attorney Robert Barnes.
Alleged Assault Occurred In July 2018
The alleged assault was said to have occurred in July 2018 at Murf鈥�s Backstreet Tavern in Sag Harbor, New York. Hice was out with co-workers when he claimed to have met Lemon.
听Hice said he had offered to buy Lemon a drink but Lemon declined, saying he was “just trying to have a good time.鈥�
听Hice, 41, made the accusation that later in the evening, 鈥�Mr. Lemon, who was wearing a pair of shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, put his hand down the front of his own shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into [Hice鈥�s] moustache under [Hice鈥�s] nose.鈥�
听The complaint later went on to claim Lemon later asked Hice, “Do you like pussy or dick,鈥澨齛nd continued to press his fingers into Hice鈥檚 face with “aggression and hostility.”
听In his assault claim, filed August 11, 2019, Hice said he was left 鈥渆motionally devastated by Mr. Lemon鈥�s demeaning unprovoked and offensive assault,鈥� and he was seeking damages for 鈥�emotional pain and suffering.鈥�
Hice said the alleged assault left him battling mental health issues which in turn prevented him from returning to his job as a bartender.
Lemon鈥檚 Attorney: ‘A Crass Money Grab’
Lemon鈥檚 attorney, Caroline Polisi, in a statement, said, 鈥淭his case was a crass money grab from its inception. Mr. Lemon has never paid the plaintiff a dime over the course of this unfortunate spectacle, and he is looking forward to moving on with his life.鈥澨�
听鈥淭his has been a long and difficult journey for Don,鈥澨齈olisi said. 鈥淥ut of respect for the judicial process and my advice, he has had to remain silent in the face of a malicious and vulgar attack on his character.鈥�
听鈥淯nfortunately, being a gay Black man in the media, he has had to deal with these sorts of attacks for quite some time. The Court鈥�s ruling fully vindicates Mr. Lemon and brings an end to this abusive lawsuit,鈥� Polisi said.
听CNN supported Lemon and said in a statement made at the time Hice made the complaint, 鈥�The plaintiff in this lawsuit has previously displayed a pattern of contempt for CNN on his social media accounts.鈥�
听Amongst Hice鈥檚 tweets was one that claimed, 鈥�CNN supports and enables sexual predators,”听
听鈥�This claim follows his unsuccessful threats and demands for an exorbitant amount of money from Don Lemon. Don categorically denies these claims, and this matter does not merit any further comment at this time,鈥� CNN said.
听There were also suggestions that Lemon was being extorted for $1.5 million to stop the lawsuit.
Witness Recanted Testimony
听The lawsuit was dropped after two witnesses testifying for Hice contradicted under oath the events which Hice had alleged to have occurred, saying they did not witness any emotional distress on Hice鈥檚 part that evening.
听George Gounelas, a friend of Hice who supported the claims of assault, recanted their testimony after attorneys said Hice had offered to pay Gounelas for corroborating his assault claim.
Isabel Peters, who was out with Hice and Gounelas on the night in question, said Hice actually followed Lemon from one bar to another, and continued to offer to buy Lemon drinks.
Hice ‘Did The Very Thing He is Accusing Don Lemon of Doing’
William Erdmann, who was on Lemon鈥檚 witness list, testified that Hice had subjected him to the very same manner of assault that Hice claimed Lemon had done to him.
听Erdmann, who was a former classmate of Hice, saw him on the Megyn Kelly Show and tweeted, “Wouldn’t you know it, I went to High School with Dustin Hice. In high school, he and his friends did the VERY THING he is accusing Don Lemon of doing to me! He and his friends bullied me so badly for being gay that I had to switch high schools my Junior year. His claims are fake.鈥�
听In his deposition, Erdmann said, “On one occasion, while Mr. Hice was sitting across from me in math class, Mr. Hice put his hands down the front of his pants and made a dramatic show of moving his hand around vigorously, giving the impression that he was making contact with his genitals.鈥�
听“After removing his hand from his pants, he moved closer to my desk and said, ‘smell my finger’ while simultaneously shoving his finger under my nose, causing his friends to laugh at me,鈥� Erdmann said.
听Journalist and former talk show host, Megyn Kelly, tweeted her belief that Hice had been paid off. 鈥淭here is zero chance they didn鈥�t give Dustin Hice a nice fat check,鈥� Kelly said.
Hice Ordered to Pay Lemon鈥檚 Attorneys鈥� Fees
听Lemon鈥檚 attorney, Caroline Polisi, in a statement contradicted this allegation, saying, 鈥淭he only monetary judgment in this case came from the Court ordering Mr. Hice to pay Mr. Lemon’s attorneys’ fees because听of his egregious misconduct in this litigation.听Not a single penny was paid by Don Lemon or any of his representatives to Mr. Hice or anyone having anything to do with Mr. Hice.鈥�
听The judge presiding over the case has ordered Hice to pay Lemon鈥檚 attorneys鈥� fees totalling $77,000 for failing to provide evidence during the discovery phase of the trial.
听US Magistrate Judge Thomas Locke said Hice had done 鈥�nothing to preserve relevant evidence here and in fact got rid of some of it, whether or not on purpose.鈥澨�
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