Don Lemon categorically denied sexually assaulting a man during a drunken incident in a bar in the Hamptons.
Dustin Hice, a strikingly handsome ghey man, claims he was groped by Lemon at Murf’s Backstreet Tavern in July 2018.
In his lawsuit filed in Suffolk County Court on Aug. 11, 2019, Hice’s lawyer wrote:
“[Lemon] put his hand down the front of his own shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into Plaintiff’s mustache and under Plaintiff’s nose.
“Lemon intensely pushed his fingers against Plaintiff’s face under Plaintiff’s nose, forcing Plaintiff’s head thrust backward as Defendant repeatedly asked Plaintiff ‘Do you like p***y or d**k?’ While saying this, Mr. Lemon continued to shove his fingers into Plaintiff’s face with aggression and hostility.”
However, the 55-year-old, openly ghey CNN anchor denied the allegations through a spokesperson.
“Don categorically denies these claims,” the spokesperson told USA TODAY on Tuesday.
“The plaintiff in this lawsuit has previously displayed a pattern of contempt for CNN on his social media accounts. This claim follows his unsuccessful threats and demands for an exorbitant amount of money from Don Lemon.”
But Hice claims he is not suing Lemon for a quick come up.
“I’m not doing this for notoriety or fame, I’m doing this because I’m standing up for myself and what I believe in,” Hice told Fox News last year.
Hice said he suffered “severe emotional stress and loss of future earnings and opportunities,” due to Lemon’s aggressive flirting.
“I’ve grown a new respect for people dealing with mental health issues because stress, depression, anxiety, those are all very serious things. It consumed my life,” Hice said.
After years of procedural delays, Hice’s lawsuit is set to go to trial in 2022.
