Analysis of Michael Chiesa’s civil lawsuit against Conor McGregor in Brooklyn
Several months ago, Conor McGregor entered a guilty plea in Kings County (Brooklyn) in connection with the incident at UFC 223 that left the whole MMA world in shock. Once those words admitting guilt were uttered in open Court, we all knew that a civil suit was coming. And Michael Chiesa, last night, did just that by filing suit against Conor in Kings County Supreme Court.
Chiesa sued McGregor, as well as McGregor’s entertainment company, McGregor Sports and Entertainment, BSE Global and Barclays Center. Chiesa’s lawyers just decided to play it safe and sue everyone under the sun. It’s a smart move. They didn’t want to limit their potential recovery sources.
The lawsuit included causes of actions for negligence, numerous emotional distress-related claims and some intentional tort allegations, such as assault and battery. Negligent hiring was also alleged.
Unless there is something unknown, then typically, a case like this would not exceed the low six figure range. There were no deaths, dismemberments, loss of organ functions, or even complex surgeries. But because this is such a high-profile matter, all bets are off. Chiesa’s lawyers did not allege a specific monetary sum in the actual Complaint. That’s smart because they don’t want to bind themselves to a figure. So now, the Complaint must be served upon all of the defendants and they will have several weeks to answer.
Importantly though, as discussed earlier, McGregor did admit guilt to this in a criminal case, so there are really no defenses. It’s just a matter of how quickly Conor’s lawyers decide to settle this and how reasonable the demands of Chiesa’s lawyers will be.
One thing is for sure. With Conor’s big fight coming up and the potential fallout from that, win or lose, Conor’s focus will not be on this lawsuit. October 6 is right around the corner.
The above report comes from Dmitriy Shakhnevich, New York Criminal Defense and Injury Firm
