MLB Player's Son Files Lawsuit In Prosper Sex Assault Case
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - One of Detroit Tiger outfielder Torii Hunter's sons committed to play both football and baseball for the University Notre Dame last September. Another of his children doesn't believe his prospects are as bright -- and by no fault of his own.
Now Darius McClinton-Hunter has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the parents of several teenage girls from the Town of Prosper. Hunter was arrested for sexual assault after a party in Prosper a year ago, but was later cleared by a grand jury. The suit alleges the Collin County teenager's reputation has been permanently ruined.
Hunter's attorney, Larry Friedman, said, "In today's day and age these false allegations go viral in a matter of moments and they go viral forever. And there's no way you can get back your reputation in its entirety." Friedman claims there are more than six million internet references accusing Hunter of a sexual assault crime he did not commit.
The lawsuit details, almost step-by-step, the events of May 4, 2012 and how Hunter a group of friends made plans to "hang out."
In the lawsuit lawyers detail how, "less than forty-eight (48) hours after the arrest warrant was issued, on or about May 16, 2012 O.T. [the accuser] recanted almost everything that was contained in the arrest warrant." While the allegations continued until February of 2013, lawyers say a large portion of Darius Hunter's life ended.
Attorneys say Hunter was "falsely branded him as a criminal," was sent him to an Alternative School for a year, was kicked off the Prosper High School football team and banned from high school sports.
According to Friedman, the now 17-year-old Hunter lost out on college scholarships and a possible NFL career because of the accusations. "Being a victim of sexual assault is a very serious crime, but being falsely accused of having committed a sexual assault is equally as serious a crime," he said.
The lawsuit also states that, "there may have been other motives for the pursuit of standout African American young boys by an all-white police department in a town where African Americans are a distinct minority."
Friedman says there are still questions to be answered. "Now we need to know why these allegations, these false allegations, were made. Why these false allegations were allowed to stand for over a year?"
Initially, Prosper police charged four people --Hunter, 17-year-old Garrick White and two unnamed juveniles -- in the case. A grand jury cleared Hunter and the two minors. White has been indicted on charges of Unlawful Restraint.
CBS 11's Jack Fink contacted the Prosper Police Department, which is declining to comment on the lawsuit. He also tried to call the parents of all three accusers. Those calls were not immediately returned.
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