Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson, who is preparing to fight Jake Paul in July, has been hit with a lawsuit for allegedly punching out a California man on an airplane two years ago.
Mr. Tyson’s attorney said at the time that he had no intention of making a “shakedown payment” to Mr. Townsend.
“I received a shakedown letter related to some instigator’s harassment of Mike a year ago and the aftermath,” lawyer Alex Spiro told the LA Times. “There will be no shakedown payment.”
Mr. Townsend’s attorneys filed the civil lawsuit in San Francisco County Court on April 19. They are seeking an undisclosed amount in damages for physical and emotional distress from the alleged assault.
JetBlue is also named as a defendant in the complaint, accusing the airline of not taking “any action to prevent Plaintiff from being battered by Mr. Tyson.”
“JetBlue failed to use the utmost care and diligence for the safe carriage of Plaintiff on the subject JetBlue airplane,” the document states.
What Happened?
On April 19, 2022, Mr. Tyson, now 57, was seated in first class on a JetBlue airplane after attending a cannabis festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, according to multiple reports at the time.Mr. Townsend, who was also seated in first class, was in the row behind the boxer.
A video of the incident posted on the internet shows a man, who appears to be Mr. Tyson, punching another man in the face while on an airplane.
Mr. Tyson’s lawyer claims Mr. Townsend was intoxicated and provoked his client, who has had multiple run-ins with the law over the last several decades, including three years in prison for rape in the 1990s.
The complaint claims that Mr. Tyson “suddenly” attacked the plaintiff without provocation.
“Suddenly and without warning or provocation, Mr. Tyson stood from his seat, turned to Plaintiff, who was seated in the row behind Mr. Tyson, and began punching him with both fists repeatedly while standing over him,” reads the court document.
“Mr. Tyson punched Plaintiff numerous times in the head, face, and neck, tore the neck of Plaintiff’s shirt, and caused Plaintiff to bleed from both sides of his head.”
Mr. Tyson’s attorneys claim Mr. Townsend was intoxicated and threw a water bottle at the boxer.
Following the alleged incident, both of the men exited the aircraft separately and were questioned by police.
The airline provided vouchers for Mr. Townsend so he could take a different flight.
Last year, a woman filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tyson, accusing him of raping her sometime in the early 1990s after meeting him at a nightclub in Albany, New York.
