Adrien Broner faces lawsuit alleging sexual battery and assault

Adrien Broner is facing a civil lawsuit in California alleging sexual battery, assault, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint, obtained by TMZ, was filed by a woman named Havana Saint and also names live-streamer Nurideen Shabazz, known online as “DeenTheGreat”, and the streaming platform Kick.

Saint alleges the incidents began after a June 2 after-party, where she claims Broner encouraged her to drink heavily before she remained at the residence because she was unable to drive home. According to the complaint, Broner then attempted to force himself on her, ignored repeated refusals and explicit statements that she was not interested in men, and exposed himself.

The lawsuit alleges Saint encountered Broner again on June 8 at a live-stream content house in Los Angeles County. She claims Broner physically pulled her from the venue and forced her to go to his home in Encino, where she again refused to have sex with him.

According to the filing, Broner doused Saint with ice water the following morning during a live stream after she rejected his advances, causing severe humiliation and emotional distress. Saint further alleges Broner and Shabazz later made defamatory statements during broadcasts by falsely claiming she had engaged in sexual relations with people at the content house. The complaint brings claims against Broner for sexual battery, assault, defamation and emotional distress, names Shabazz for defamation, and targets Kick for negligence.

Previous default judgments

The lawsuit adds to a civil court history that has already produced substantial judgments against Broner. In December 2019, an Ohio judge entered a default judgment against him in a lawsuit arising from a June 2018 incident at a Cleveland nightclub, where a woman alleged Broner pinned her to a couch and kissed her against her will.

Broner had pleaded guilty in the related criminal case to misdemeanor assault and unlawful restraint, but was not convicted of a sexual offence. The civil court awarded $783,752.74, including $500,000 in punitive damages and $250,000 for non-economic and emotional harm, with interest later bringing the amount owed at the time to almost $830,000. The judgment was entered by default after Broner stopped defending the lawsuit and did not attend the damages hearing.

A second default judgment followed in Nevada in December 2020 after Carlos Gonzalez sued over a September 2017 confrontation on the Las Vegas Strip. Video showed Broner pushing a woman before punching Gonzalez and knocking him unconscious, and a judge awarded Gonzalez $4 million after Broner failed to answer or defend the lawsuit. The Ohio judgment also led to further proceedings, with Broner jailed for contempt in November 2020 after failing to comply with court orders concerning his finances and payment of the award.

Broner’s boxing career has long been tied to high-profile success and repeated turbulence outside the ring. The Cincinnati fighter won world titles in four weight classes between 2011 and 2015, claiming belts at super-featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and super-lightweight, but his championship run included only two successful title defences. He later remained in major fights against Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia and Manny Pacquiao, though he did not win another world title.

Broner has not yet publicly responded to the allegations or the lawsuit, according to TMZ. The next step is for the named defendants to respond in the civil case, with the claims against Broner, Shabazz and Kick now set to move through the court process.