Floyd Mayweather Hit With $20 Million Defamation Lawsuit by Ex-Girlfriend
Josie Harris claims boxer falsely painted her as a drug addict while describing domestic violence incident to Katie Couric
Tim Kenneally | May 5, 2015 @ 12:14 PM
Last Updated: May 5, 2015 @ 3:16 PM
Getty Images
Fresh off of his victory in the ring against Manny Pacquiao, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is facing another battle, this one in the legal system.
Mayweather has been slapped with a $20 million by his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris, who claims Mayweather defamed her during an April interview with Katie Couric.
In the suit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Harris, who has three children with Mayweather, claims that the boxer falsely painted her as a drug abuser while discussing a 2010 domestic violence incident against Harris.
“Mayweather knowingly and maliciously lied about his beating of Harris, disclaiming any responsibility for the attack and Harris’ resulting serious injuries,” the suit reads, “Instead, Mayweather pointed his finger at Harris, labeling her as a drug abuser and an aggressor who the world-class boxer had to ‘restrain.'”
In 2011, Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to a battery domestic violence charge in relation to the 2010 incident, which took place in front of two of their children.
“Did I kick, stomp and beat someone? No, that didn’t happen. I look in your face and say, ‘No, that didn’t happen,'” Mayweather told Couric during the interview, the lawsuit notes. “Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that’s domestic violence, then, you know what? I’m guilty. I’m guilty of restraining someone.”
Harris’ lawsuit characterizes Mayweather’s account as “totally and unequivocally false and defamatory. The true facts are that Harris was not a drug abuser or drug addict. Harris did not need to be ‘restrained’ because she was on drugs.”
The suit continues, “[Mayweather’s] statements paint a clear picture that Harris lied when she told the police that Mayweather repeatedly struck and beat her.”
Not only did Mayweather’s statements result in “severe” damage to Harris’ personal reputation, the suit claims, but they harmed her professionally as well.
“As an aspiring television personality and author, Harris would become unemployable and unpublishable if potential employers or publishers believe that she is, or even might be, a drug abuser or addict, as Mayweather implies in the interview,” the suit reads.
A spokesperson for Mayweather has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional address, Harris claims that she’s suffered humiliation, mental anguish and emotional and physical distress, which the complaint says is “believed to be in excess of Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000).”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
OWN
A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
Getty Images
Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
Bravo
Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
VH1
Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
Fox
Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
Getty Images
Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
TMZ
CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
Getty Images
Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
Getty Images
Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
Getty Images
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
Getty Images
Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
Getty Images
In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
Getty Images
1 of 18
From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.