 |
| Elton John |
One of Elton John's personal security guards has sued the
musician, alleging battery, sexual battery and sexual harassment.
John, who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, denied the
charges, and his lawyer called the suit "baseless."
Jeffrey Wenninger said that John touched him in an
"unwelcome" manner over the course of several years after he started
working for the singer in 2002 as an off-duty security guard, according to the
lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Wenninger, who was a sergeant with
the Los Angeles Police Department at the time, said the incidents increased in
"frequency and intensity after 2010."
The lawsuit cites three specific incidents in March and
April of 2014, all while John was on his way to or from the airport.
Wenninger attempted to resist the unwanted advances, both
verbally and physically, but his actions "had no permanent effect" on
John's behavior, the suit claims.
Orin Snyder, an attorney for John, said in a statement that
Wenninger is "a disgruntled former security officer seeking to extract an
undeserved payment."
"These claims are patently untrue and contradicted by
numerous previous statements made by this plaintiff," Snyder said.
"We will not give into his latest abuse of the legal system."
Wenninger is seeking unspecified damages for, among other
things, "physical, mental, and emotional injuries," lost wages and medical
costs.
Wenninger was awarded the LAPD's Medal of Valor in 2007
in recognition of his actions 11 years earlier, when he and 12 other officers
helped rescue more than 80 elderly people from a burning building.
Wenninger remains employed by the LAPD, the department said
recently.
No comments:
Post a Comment