Patti LaBelle's staff have been cleared on the charges of assault following the beating of a former West Point Military Academy cadet.
The former West Point cadet Richard King has lost his multimillion-dollar lawsuit he forged after he was assaulted while waiting for a ride home outside a Houston airport terminal. King alleged he was attacked without provocation by LaBelle's bodyguard and two others in 2011. His attorney claimed King suffered a brain injury causing him to withdraw from the U.S. Military Academy.
After 10 hours of deliberation on Tuesday night, the federal jury in Houston returned its verdict as innocent. As LaBelle had been dropped from the suit early in the trial, her staff members, however, were the ones in the hot seat.
King lost, perhaps, because LaBelle's attorneys argued he threw the first punch.
"We're stunned," said King's attorney, John Raley. "The videotape seemed very clear to everyone we've shown it to and seemed quite compelling so we really have no explanation for this."
Rumors say LaBelle's attorneys claim King was drunk and began attacking LaBelle's son, trying to get into her limo. He is rumored to have said racial slurs to LaBelle as well.
"All of my clients were vindicated in this matter,” said defense attorney Philip Brinson. “That was their position all along. The perception they had was different than what the video showed”.
No word yet on an appeal.
