Mike Tyson’s lawyer Alex Spiro said his lie to would not pay the $450 000 litigation claim by Melvin Townsend for an in-flight fight.
Tyson was caught on camera punching an aggressive Townsend repeatedly in a heated exchange on a flight to San Francisco in 2022.
Tyson told Jimmy Kimmel, “I guess it was just his number. But I was wrong. That never should’ve happened, that’s me back at my primitive child stages. I shouldn’t have done that, but I was irritated, tired, high, pissed off, yeah. S–t happens.”
Townsend’s attorney, Jake Jondle, writing to Spiro claimed, “immediately after the incident, Mr. Townsend had a severe headache and neck pain” and is “still suffering with the effects of the assault to this day.
“As a former undisputed heavyweight champion, the potential to cause severe injuries to another person goes without question,” Jondle continued.
“There were several other remedies available to Mr. Tyson, but he chose physical violence.”
The San Francisco Police Department has refused to lay charges.
“We have reviewed the police reports of the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and have viewed the various videos collected by law enforcement from others on the airplane,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told reporters. “Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.”
Spiro has emphatically said nothing will be paid to Townsend.
