In a widely reported news story, Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol Palin, got into a verbal match with a gay man, riddled with curse words and insults, in a Los Angeles bar that has now resulted in a lawsuit claiming that Palin caused the man emotional distress, as reported by Reuters.
The plaintiff, S.H., has accused Bristol Palin of defamation, and other damages, in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. federal court in Los Angeles. Also named in the suit is the cable television channel Lifetime.
Lifetime has film of the September 2011 incident with plans to run it in Palin's upcoming reality television show. S.H. claims that he was never asked for his permission to use the film in the show.
Michael Gulden, a Los Angeles-based attorney, is representing S.H. in the suit. The amount of damages sought has yet to be determined, however, according to Gulden it will be for over $75,000.
Bristol Palin hit headline news in 2008. While her mother ran for U.S. vice president Palin became pregnant while unmarried and still a teenager.
The lawsuit states that Palin had just gotten off from riding a mechanical bull in the bar when S.H. yelled out that her mother was "evil" and a "whore."
After S.H. is seen yelling at Palin, she, in turn, allegedly confronted him and asked if he was gay. The two then proceeded to engage into a heated verbal battle.
The event was captured on video and widely shown on the Internet.
After the incident Palin told reporters that due to the argument in the bar, she had decided to go back to her home in Alaska.
The suit claims that assertion by Palin was not true. D.H. said that Palin bought a home in Alaska in July of 2011, two months before the two tangled. Because she blamed D.H., publicly, he claims that her action defamed him.
Along with the claim of defamation, D.H. states in the suit that Palin's questions about his sexual lifestyle caused him emotional distress and invaded his privacy. Furthermore, having the film of their exchange readily available to the public has caused him distress.
The lawsuit states, "Bristol Palin first accused Plaintiff off 'being a homosexual' in a degrading manner in front of others ... she then in a magazine article blamed Plaintiff for her decision to leave Los Angeles for Alaska even though she had purchased her home in Alaska ... more than two months before the encounter."
Palin's reality show, "Life's a Tripp", is due to air on June 19 on Lifetime. The show is set to cover Palin's time in Los Angeles and her return to Alaska. Palin's now three-year-old son, Tripp, joined her during her time in Los Angeles.
Gulden claims that his client has tried to work things out with Lifetime, and the television show's parent company A&E Television Networks, but to no avail.
Gulden told reporters, "He has communicated with A&E regarding use of the footage, and they were non-responsive. He felt (filing the lawsuit) was all he could do to protects his rights."
Whether hurt by a single person or a large company, you can work to recover what you have lost by filing a lawsuit. Click here for our directory and contact a personal injury lawyer near you today!