Criminal Justice
Jury Acquits Stockbroker in Assault of Gym Grunter
Posted Jun 3, 2008, 05:11 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Manhattan jury has acquitted a stockbroker who grabbed the exercise bike of a grunting and shouting gym-goer.
A lawyer for Christopher Carter admitted his client grabbed the handlebars of the bike of hedge-fund executive Stuart Sugarman, who was shouting and grunting during a spin class, the New York Times reports. Carter was charged with assault for lifting the bike and letting it fall back to the ground. He acted after twice asking exercise instructors to tell Sugarman to pipe down, but Sugarman refused to comply, the story says.
Jurors said there wasn’t proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Sugarman’s herniated disc was caused by Carter's actions, report the Times and the New York Post. The Post called the verdict a “spin-rage acquittal” and described the incident as a “flaky fitness fracas.”
Sugarman told jurors that people enjoy it when he grunts and shouts, "You go, girl!" and "Good song!" and "Great burn!" while he exercises.
Juror Marybeth Roman said Sugarman wasn’t credible when he testified about how normal his shouts were and how he immediately felt excruciating pain when his bike landed on the ground.
“I was like, ‘Why must he be obnoxious and disrespectful to the others?’ ” Roman said.
Despite the verdict, Sugarman plans to file a lawsuit against Carter and the health club.