https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/don-lemon-accuser-drops-assault-case-claims-his-recollection-of-events-are-not-what-he-thought-when-filing-lawsuit/ar-AAWSRtX?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=cc6b04313103495294e136c0fda09309
Aman who accused Don Lemon of assaulting him nearly three years ago has dropped the case, claiming that he misremembered the facts that led him to file an incendiary lawsuit against the CNN anchor.
On Aug. 11 2019, Dustin Hice filed a complaint against Lemon, alleging that the openly gay journalist had assaulted him inside a popular bar in Sag Harbor, N.Y., where Hice worked as a bartender, in July of the previous year.
In the lawsuit, which was filled with graphic details of abuse, Hice claimed that he offered Lemon a drink, but the CNN host refused.
Later, according to the complaint, Lemon approached Hice, “vigorously rubbed his genitalia,” asked him if he liked “py or dk,” and also treated him “with aggression and hostility.”
The prime-time news host and bestselling author has always “categorically” denied any wrongdoing.
CNN news anchor Don Lemon attends the 15th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in New York. (Evan Agostini/)
The case began falling apart after some of the witnesses recanted their stories. Additionally, a CNN spokesperson noted that “the plaintiff in this lawsuit has previously displayed a pattern of contempt for CNN on his social media accounts.”
On Monday, weeks after a federal judge ordered Hice to pay $77,000 in legal fees, he formally dropped the lawsuit, alleging that he might have misremembered the entire incident, after all.
“After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit,” Hice said in a statement shared with the media by his attorneys.
“As a result, I am dropping the case,” he added.
Lemon’s attorney Caroline Polisi released a statement Tuesday night calling the suit “a crass money grab from its inception.”
“Thankfully Mr. Hice was finally able to access his memory and recollect the correct version of events on the night when he approached Don Lemon,” she wrote, speaking about the “long and difficult journey” for the CNN anchor.
“Unfortunately, being a gay Black man in the media, he has had to deal with these sorts of attacks for quite some time,” she added
But the ruling “fully vindicates Mr. Lemon and brings an end to this abusive lawsuit.”