Richard King, a West Point cadet, has sued R&B legend Patti LaBelle after an alleged beating at a Houston airport. The New York Daily News reports that King is seeking unspecified damages for what he claims was an unprovoked attack by three of LaBelle’s bodyguards.
According to the Daily News, King was minding his own business and chatting on his cell phone when he wandered a bit too close to LaBelle’s parked limousine and luggage. Annoyed at the West Point cadet, LaBelle allegedly lowered the back window of her limousine and barked an attack order to her bodyguards.
Houston airport surveillance cameras show LaBelle's three large bodyguards confronting King and then shoving and punching him. A bloodied King is shown falling into a concrete pillar before making several attempts to regain his footing and staggering away. King claims that he suffered a concussion from the attack.
While it is the large bodyguards for the 67-year old Patti LaBelle who attacked the 23-year old King, King is seeking to recover damages from the R&B legend herself. This is because under the legal doctrine respondeat superior, LaBelle could be held accountable for injuries caused by her employees.
Respondeat superior generally holds employers accountable for their employees' acts if these acts are performed while employees are doing their jobs.
Richard King is claiming that Patti LaBelle is liable for his beating at a Houston airport because she ordered the attack. Under the doctrine respondeat superior, King may seek to recover damages from LaBelle herself despite the fact that she did not personally participate in his beating.
Related Resources:
- Find a New York Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
- Patti LaBelle Accused of Ordering Attack at Airport (Rolling Stone)
- An Employer's Liability for Employee's Acts (FindLaw)
- Employer Liability: Crash Kills 15 in NYC (FindLaw's Free Enterprise Blog)
- From Waterboarding to Employee Harassment: Liability for Employees' Bad Acts (FindLaw's Free Enterprise Blog)
ShareThis
