MANHATTAN (CN) – A woman claims in a federal complaint that Sacramento Kings star Matt Barnes choked her at club, then knocked her unconscious with an elbow to the face.
Jasmine Besiso brought the complaint along with Myrone Powell who says Barnes and his teammate DeMarcus Cousins punched and kicked him for trying to help Besiso.
The alleged altercation occurred at about 3 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2016, at the Avenue Nightclub on 10th Avenue in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Barnes and Cousins were partying in the VIP area, and Besiso and Powell were not part of their group, the complaint says.
Though the basketball players fled the scene, according to the Dec. 7 complaint, “video footage captured Defendants Matt Barnes and Demarcus Cousins boasting about the alleged assault and battery.”
Besiso and Powell seek punitive damages for emotional distress and assault and battery. They are represented by Michael Lamonsoff.
Powell had two black eyes at a press conference on the lawsuit, the New York Daily News reported.
Though the article said an attorney for the player declined to comment, Barnes appeared to post about the incident on his Instagram.
“There’s always two sides to a story,” the post says, dated Dec. 5 at 1:32 p.m. “The side the media consistently tries to paint of me…. And what actually happened! Don’t believe everything you read.”
Follow @bleonardcns
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
-
Win for harassment victim April 18, 2024