Sacramento Kings team-mates Matt Barnes and DeMarcus Cousins have been sued by two people over an alleged assault at a New York nightclub early on Monday morning.
Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell filed the civil lawsuit in federal district court on Wednesday, requesting a jury trial and asking for compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000.
The complaint, filed in United States district court for the southern district of New York, alleges that Barnes grabbed Besiso by the neck and began choking her at approximately 3am after a commotion broke out in the VIP area at the Avenue nightclub in Chelsea.
The plaintiffs said Cousins intentionally punched Powell in the face when she attempted to come to Besiso’s aid, with Barnes subsequently elbowing Besiso in the face and knocking her unconscious. The players are then said to have jointly taken Powell to the ground, where they both intentionally and kicked him “in the head, torso and lower body”.
The New York police department was notified of the incident and arrived shortly thereafter, but Barnes and Cousins had fled the scene. The complaint alleges that video footage captured the players boasting about the assault and battery before leaving.
No criminal charges have been filed against Cousins or Barnes.
The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Michael Lamonsoff, said his clients sustained “serious injuries and to suffer pain, shock and mental anguish” and that the injuries “will be permanent”.
Barnes addressed the incident in an Instagram post on Monday, writing that “there’s always two sides of a story”. That same day, the Kings issued a statement saying they were “working with all parties involved to gather information in order to take any appropriate next steps.”
