Woman suing Steelers' Holmes
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Steelers' wide receiver Santonio Holmes is being sued for for assault and battery.
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Santonio Holmes, the Pittsburgh Steelers' star wide receiver and the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLIII, has become the latest team member to be accused publicly of boorish and possibly criminal behavior.
A Florida college student sued Mr. Holmes Wednesday for assault and battery, claiming that he bloodied her face March 7 by throwing a glass at her in an Orlando nightclub.
The plaintiff, Anshonae Mills, is a senior at the University of Central Florida. Reached at her job yesterday, Ms. Mills declined comment and referred questions to her lawyer, Jacques L. Cooper.
Mr. Cooper, 25, who has been practicing law for four months, would not discuss the case but said he planned to release further information today.
According to the four-page complaint, Ms. Mills and Mr. Holmes, 26, got into an argument at a club called Rain, which bills itself on its answering machine as "Orlando's newest social mecca."
PDFMs. Mills was at the club with three college friends. She was sitting on the arm of a couch in the VIP area speaking to someone she knew when Mr. Holmes tried to oust her from her perch by telling her to "Get up" because he had been sitting there, the lawsuit states.
When Ms. Mills refused to move, Mr. Holmes yelled and waved his arms, the suit says. Ms. Mills grabbed Mr. Holmes' hand "in self-defense to prevent him from hitting her or touching her," the suit says.
Mr. Holmes yanked his hand away; the two argued, prompting other patrons to step between them.
Then, the suit says, Mr. Holmes threw a "large" liquor glass at Ms. Mills, striking her below the eyebrow. The complaint said Ms. Mills was cut and temporarily blinded by the alcohol in the glass.
There is nothing to indicate the two knew each other prior to the incident.
Club security removed Ms. Mills "due to her injuries," according to the complaint. Outside the club, Ms. Mills asked a police officer to "reprimand" Mr. Holmes.
"When confronted with the possibility of incarceration, defendant asked to speak with the plaintiff. He proceeded to inform the plaintiff that he was an NFL football player and that he could not face criminal charges. Subsequently, defendant offered to give the plaintiff money because he was a[n] NFL star and he could not get into trouble," the lawsuit states.
First Published March 30, 2010 12:00 am
