Request for $450,000 settlement for treatment and medical expenses
Tyson’s side “The opponent provoked first… There is no need to pay”
A man who was assaulted by former American boxer Mike Tyson, famous for his ‘nuclear fist’, demanded a settlement amounting to 600 million won.
According to foreign media such as the New York Post on the 30th (local time), Melvin Townsend, who was assaulted by Tyson on a JetBlue flight departing from San Francisco to Florida last year, said he was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and received $450,000 (approx. They demanded payment of a settlement amount of 80 million won.
Townsend’s lawyer, Jake Johndle, said: “There is no doubt that as a former heavyweight boxer, he caused serious injury to another person. He had many ways to resolve the problem, but he chose physical violence.”
He added, “Immediately after the assault, Mr. Townsend complained of severe headaches and neck pain,” adding, “To this day, he is still suffering from the aftereffects of the assault.”
Townsend later requested $450,000 from Tyson as a settlement, citing the costs incurred for drug treatment and various medical treatments. If Tyson does not respond, they will file a formal lawsuit.
However, Tyson’s lawyer Alex Spiro flatly refused to pay the settlement or cooperate. Spiro said, “A year ago, Mike received instigation, harassment, and threatening letters regarding the incident,” and added, “There will be no settlement payment.”
It is said that this incident, which occurred on a passenger plane, occurred when Townsend, after seeing that Tyson was sitting in front of him, got on Tyson’s nerves and assaulted him several times while talking. In the process, a video was released showing Townsend receiving a wound on his forehead.
After the incident, the prosecutors at the time decided not to file charges and closed the case, considering that Townsend had induced Tyson’s assault, the back and forth behavior between the two at the time, and the fact that neither party had filed charges.
Meanwhile, Tyson was a heavyweight boxing superstar active in the 1980s and 1990s, and became the world’s youngest heavyweight champion in 1986 at the age of 20. However, he was convicted of sexual assault and theft in 1992 and served about three years in prison.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.