File this under “only in America.”
In November I posted about the Uber driver in Newport Beach who was violently attacked by a passenger, and then ended up pepper spraying him. The guy was clearly drunk and belligerent, and the real confrontation started when the Uber driver pulled over to let the guy out, at which point he was attacked. The Uber driver pepper sprayed the passenger, and following the incident said he was looking for a new job, because he didn’t feel comfortable working for Uber anymore.
For those who never saw the video, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSIzKhUtZgg
Well, there’s a follow up to this story, and it involves a lawsuit. A $5 million lawsuit filed by the passenger against the Uber driver he violently attacked. That’s right, the passenger is suing the Uber driver.
Via CNBC:
A former Taco Bell executive who was arrested and fired after a viral dash-cam video showed him attacking an Uber driver is now suing that driver for $5 million — saying the driver illegally recorded the violent incident.
Ousted exec Benjamin Golden, 32, also said in court papers that driver Edward Caban, is to blame for any injuries he suffered during their Oct. 30 encounter in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Golden’s civil cross-complaint cites the California penal code, which says a person cannot intentionally record a conversation with someone else “without the consent of all parties.”
Pilchman said that Caban, 23, seems to be “quite the opportunist,” and that “there’s very little truth to the damages that he claims,” which include post-traumatic stress and claims that he lives in fear after his violent confrontation with Golden.
“I don’t believe he has any of those,” she said.
Okay, so the passenger says that the driver is quite an opportunist with his claims of post-traumatic stress and living in fear. But the violent former Taco Bell executive is suing for the same thing — the suffering, severe emotional distress, anxiety, fear, etc.:
Golden furthers said in filings that because of the “overwhelming media coverage” of the video, Golden “has suffered severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, fear, pain and suffering and the loss of his job.”
Bottom line
Only in the USA!
(Tip of the hat to Mike)
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