FORMER four-weight boxing world champion Adrien Broner has been ordered to pay over £600,000 to a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by him at a nightclub.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to assault and unlawful restraint in April after the woman, 35, claimed the welterweight lay on her and forced his tongue into her mouth in Cleveland last year.
Adrien Broner, pictured in his Cuyahoga County Court booking photo, has been ordered to pay more than £600k to a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her at a Cleveland nightclub in 2018Credit: Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office
His victim claimed boxer Broner lay on top of her in a Cleveland nightclub and forced his tongue into her mouthCredit: Getty Images
Now Cleveland.com claim Cuyahoga County judge Nancy Margaret Russo ordered £384,010 in punitive damages and £192,005 in compensation damages, plus lawyer fees, which brings the total to £637,456.
The unidentified victim’s lawyer said: “One would hope this judgment will teach Adrien Broner to keep his hands to himself.”
Broner was initially arrested by cops on charges of gross sexual imposition, abduction and misdemeanour sexual imposition, following the incident at Cleveland’s Park Social Lounge.
The victim, who used the alias Katherine Larson, told police: “Next thing you know all of a sudden, I’m laid flat on my back and he’s on top of me, literally all of his body weight and just starts kissing me.
“And I’m trying to turn and he told me to ‘shut up’ and told me to just kiss him. And then he told me to hold him.”
A friend of hers, who described the incident after meeting the boxer after the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors on June 8, 2018, said she tried to pull Broner off by his belt but was unable to due to his weight as he continued to kiss the victim’s body and neck.
An alleged acquaintance of Broner’s then hauled the fighter away from the woman after another person had taken a photo with the flash on.
The woman claimed she had to go through months of counselling and therapy for PTSD after the assault.
Broner’s lawyer, Ian Friedman, initially denied the allegations but later declared his client wanted to put the ordeal behind him – but the boxer did not appear at Tuesday’s civil hearing.
Broner last fought in a unanimous decision defeat to Manny Pacquiao in January, a bout he pocketed £1.92m for.
It is not the first time that the man nicknamed “The Problem” has been in trouble.
He was arrested in 2008 for allegedly intimidating a witness before charges were later dismissed.
He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2013 and was also charged with battery in Miami that same year.
He was arrested on a bench warrant stemming from that case in April and the matter remains unresolved.
Broner was then cited for misdemeanour battery after allegedly choking a Las Vegas waitress three years ago.
Also in 2016 he was charged with aggravated robbery in Hamilton County, Ohio, and accused of robbing a bystander at a bowling alley.
Both charges were later dropped as the prosecution’s witness failed to appear in court.
He found himself arrested again in 2017 for missing a court appearance connected to a 2014 disorderly conduct and public intoxication arrest.
Then a woman at an Atlanta mall in 2018 claimed Broner “touched her butt, thigh, and ‘private parts’ without her permission”.
He was charged with misdemeanour sexual battery, but prosecutors dropped charges due to a lack of evidence.
And back in March he hit the headlines again after a vile homophobic rant in an Instagram video after a man had allegedly been messaging him.
He said: “If any f** punk a** n***** come run up on me, trying to touch me on all that gay s***, I’m letting you know right now, if I ain’t got my gun on me, I’m knocking you the f*** out.
“If I’ve got my gun on me, I’m shooting you in the f***ing face. That’s on God. I ain’t playing with none of these n******. I don’t want that gay s***.”
Vile boxing badboy Adrien Broner threatens gay men and ‘will shoot them ‘in the ‘f****** face’ if they touch him in sicking homophobic rant
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
