Civil Suit Filed Against Draymond Green In Assault Case
WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) – A couple have filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green in connection with two supposed physical encounters that occurred in Michigan last summer, one of which resulted in criminal charges against the player.
Jermaine Edmondson and his girlfriend Bianca Williams allege that Green assaulted and bullied them when they ran into him on two successive evenings in East Lansing, Mich. The two said they had encounters with Green on July 9-10, 2016.
They appeared at a news conference Tuesday in Woodland Hills, flanked by their celebrity attorney Lisa Bloom, daughter of Gloria Allred.
Edmondson and Williams claim they were choked by Green's entourage on July 9, after Edmondson alleges Green bumped into him at a bar and then made a derogatory comment towards him.
"Then he looked at me in the eye and said, 'I know n----- like you, I pay for n----- like youse' scholarship,'" said Edmondson, who is a student and football player at Michigan State University.
"When I saw Jimmy being choked, I tried to get to him, and I kept screaming, 'stop, that's my boyfriend,'" Williams said. "One of the men who was choking him turned around to me and said, 'I don't give a f--- who your boyfriend is, and he choked me."
The two claim they again ran into Green the following evening at another bar.
"I told him (Green) that last night didn't have to happen, and that it was uncool that Bianca got choked," Edmondson told reporters. "His response was to punch me in the face without any warning or any reason."
An officer reportedly witnessed the July 10 incident and arrested Green on misdemeanor assault charges. Those were dropped a few weeks later when Green reached a plea deal to pay a $500 fine in exchange for avoiding jail time.
The couple's lawsuit claims Green received celebrity treatment. Bloom's lawsuit alleges "assault, battery and related claims based on" Green's "alleged acts of violence against a young man and woman."
Edmondson said he was threatened online because of the incidents and had to take a leave of absence from MSU.
"He's (Green) already been fined over $150,000 for kicking and striking other players in the groin during games just last year, and he was suspended for that outrageous behavior," Bloom said. "Unfortunately, he seems to have learned nothing for those sanctions."
The Warriors provided the following statement to CBS2 Tuesday: "This threatened lawsuit relates to an incident that occurred in East Lansing, Michigan, over a year ago, for which Draymond paid a noise violation fine. The Warriors will have no further comment at this time."
The lawsuit was filed in California because this is where Green resides now, Bloom said.
"This is a California lawsuit that we are filing," Bloom said. "Mr. Green, we believe, is a California resident, because he plays in Oakland, he's here many days of the year, he owns property here."
Green played his college basketball at MSU before being drafted by the Warriors in 2012.