Federal jury says Patti LaBelle's entourage not responsible for injury to West Point cadet
Despite a security video that plaintiffs counsel says showed Patti LaBelle’s son, hairdresser and 400-pound bodyguard going after a West Point cadet waiting for a ride home outside a Houston airport terminal, a federal court jury on Tuesday rendered a verdict for the soul singer and her entourage. LaBelle herself had been dropped from the suit early in the trial, according to the Associated Press and KRTK reported.
After about 10 hours of deliberation, the jury found that the hairdresser caused no injury to plaintiff Richard King, and that Labelle’s son and bodyguard were acting in self-defense, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The video appeared to show the trio acting as aggressors against King, who topples backward and strikes his head against a concrete pillar, the newspaper says. He alleged in the suit that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and could not complete his military academy training as a result.
However, lead defense lawyer Geoffrey Bracken pointed to King’s blood-alcohol level—three times the legal limit if he had been driving—and portrayed King as an out-of-control troublemaker.
“I am stunned,” said attorney John Raley, who represented King, after the verdict. “I am bewildered. The videotaped evidence was so clear.”
Jurors did not discuss their verdict with the trial lawyers before leaving the courthouse.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Federal judge declares mistrial in Patti LaBelle case because there are no black jurors”
