King is suing LaBelle for orchestrating a beating he received by her security detail outside a Houston airport terminal. King was alledgedly standing too close to LaBelle's luggage that prompted security to start an altercation and jump him.
“Apparently, defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her (no doubt expensive) luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence and the danger he was in,” according to King’s lawsuit, which was filed in Houston civil court on Wednesday and also names the bodyguards, the airport and a taxi dispatcher as co-defendants. “LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards. They sprang into action.”
A surveillance video from the airport provided by King’s lawyer and reviewed by The Associated Press showed King, 23, talking on a cell phone when one of LaBelle’s bodyguards appeared to push up against him. It appeared that King then pushed him back. Raley said King did not push back but was only trying to protect himself from a punch.
After that, the bodyguard and two other individuals then pushed and punched King, hitting him in the face and knocking him to the ground.
In the video, the bodyguards could be seen towering over King and then moving away when King unsuccessfully tried several times to get up off the ground. Police eventually came over and helped King. The video then cuts to King, who has a bandage on his head and blood on his yellow sweater, being placed on an ambulance stretcher. The video ends with two Houston police officers taking photos with LaBelle.
The investigating officer said that King was appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. Nice way to try and spin this one.
King, a defensive back with Army last season, had four interceptions in his senior season. He was told by doctors that he wouldn't be able to play football again due to the injuries suffered inn the beatdown.
Best bet is to come up with a nice little settlement number and make this go away.
