The latest update suggests that as reported by POST Wrestling, Cook County Sheriff’s officer Noel Lucas has filed a lawsuit against WWE and Montez Ford in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The suit stems from an unwanted lap dance that occurred during a July broadcast of Monday Night RAW.
The lawsuit states that Lucas was working as an off-duty security officer during the July 6th episode of RAW at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont — Illinois. During a commercial break, Ford danced towards him without warning or consent. This moment was recorded and later posted online, where it garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Lucas claims that the following day at work, members of the public recognized him from the videos circulating on social media and began to mock him by imitating the sexual movements Ford performed. He what's more alleges that his children have faced “mockery and ridicule” at school due to the video’s viral nature.
Lucas has brought forth 14 counts against them, including assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act. He is seeking unspecified monetary damages, punitive damages, and legal costs, together with a court order preventing WWE and Ford from using his identity. A hearing is penciled in for December 10th.
Furthermore, Lucas asserts that he has endured humiliation, embarrassment — and emotional distress, which continue to affect him because the video remains accessible online. He alleges that both WWE and Ford used his image for commercial purposes, violating the Illinois Right of Publicity Act.
Here is what the filing articulated: “Defendant Crawford then began performing a sexually provocative dance without delay in front of and over Plaintiff [Lucas], repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized ‘lap dance’ and moved his body increasingly closer to [Lucas]; continued the lap dance. He claims that Ford’s left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Plaintiff’s leg.”