the man who Comedian Dave Chappelle tackled Two years ago OnStage sued the Hollywood Bowl and its security team, alleging negligent security and battery.
Isaiah Lee, who pleaded no contest to charges related to the 2022 incident that led to his prison sentence, alleged in a civil lawsuit that security guards working at the venue for a “Dave Chappelle & Friends” event assaulted Lee. From the chapel and started beating him brutally, spit on him and deliberately dislocated his hand.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday – absolutely two years after the incident – The 25-year-old, who identifies as bisexual and has experienced homelessness, said he encountered Chappelle “The Dreamer” star “made a barrage of homophobic and transphobic jokes” and made fun of homelessness Inaugural Netflix is a one-joke comedy fest, The complaint, obtained by The Times on Monday, says Lee “became upset by the discriminatory nature of the comedian’s jokes and rushed to the stage in protest as soon as the show ended.”
“Instead of intervening to protect Lee, (the defendants) allowed members of the comedian’s entourage, encouraged by the comedian, to beat Lee,” the lawsuit said. The complaint also states that a knife fell out of Lee’s pocket shortly after the altercation and that its presence “did not justify the force” used against him.
Lee’s attorney Jonathan D. Evans argued that Chappelle’s history of making offensive jokes targeting the LGBTQ+ community, as well as his “propensity for making discriminatory comments” at the Hollywood Bowl and unnamed “DOE” security companies was aware, but “no measures were taken to prevent or mitigate the potential harm caused by such objectionable content.” flamboyant humor, Lee, who is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, made headlines for months before the incident due to jokes he made in his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” which An employee walked out as a result Streaming of Chappelle’s work has led to huge and widespread criticism.
“We cannot comment on ongoing legal matters,” a spokesperson for the Hollywood Bowl said in a statement to The Times on Monday. “However, the safety of our patrons and artists is of the utmost importance to the Hollywood Bowl. Safety procedures are regularly updated to provide the safest environment for those attending and performing at the Bowl.
A spokesman for Chappelle did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Monday.
Whatever company the Bowl may contract with for security could not be reached for comment due to lack of identification.
A few months later, Lee was attacked Will Smith slaps comedian Chris Rock on live television at the 94th Academy Awards, and violence reaching the stage was one of many issues Regarding live artists at that time,
According to previous reporting, Lee emerged from the Bowl audience on May 3, 2022 and appeared to charge Chappelle with his head down, causing the Emmy-winning actor to fall backward. Lee then ran backstage, where he was caught by security and suffered minor injuries. Chappell was later unharmed Lee and quipped about the incident And how the events happened,
Lee pleaded no contest to one charge of misdemeanor battery and one charge of entering a restricted area during a live program and was convicted. Sentencing scheduled for December 2022 He remained in the county jail for about nine months. He has completed his sentence and is currently in a transitional living facility, his lawyer confirmed to The Times on Monday.
In the lawsuit, Evans argued that the security company employed by Bowles had a “duty to exercise reasonable care” in performing its security services and that it failed to perform them appropriately, resulting in Lee’s injuries.
Instead of detaining or arresting Lee using an appropriate amount of force or intervening to prevent him from being beaten, the security company “incited members of the comedian’s entourage, encouraged by the comedian, to assault Lee,” the complaint says. Allowed to be beaten unnecessarily.” The document states that security company employees “joined in the beating” and “took no action to stop the attack”.
“As a direct and foreseeable result of the defendants’ aforesaid conduct and omissions … (Lee) was placed in great fear for her physical well-being, and she suffered and continues to suffer extreme mental and physical pain, suffering The pain, fear, anxiety, grief, shock, humiliation, embarrassment and apprehension will all be assessed at trial, the complaint said.
The filing also said Lee “was kept in great fear for his physical well-being, suffering extreme mental and physical pain, anxiety, humiliation and apprehension, among other issues. It says he has since had a significantly reduced enjoyment of life and his injuries require immediate surgery, and he cannot fully use his shoulder or engage in certain physical activities. which he had been doing regularly before the incident.
The lawsuit states that Lee is seeking a verdict against the defendants in a jury trial, as well as an unspecified amount of damages, coverage of his medical and related expenses, legal fees and further relief.
“He’s not after a set dollar amount. “He just wants the security company or whoever was beating him, twisting his arm out of the socket and spitting on him to stop him from overdoing it,” Evans said in an email to The Times on Monday. Can answer.” “He should have been detained, and should have been detained. That’s it. What the security guards did to him and allowed others to do the same to him is beyond the scope of what is acceptable.”
