By Francis McCabe, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
A Las Vegas man who accused undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. of ordering his bodyguard to shoot at him outside a Boulder Highway skating rink in August 2009 is suing the former Olympian.
Details of the lawsuit were not immediately available, but the plaintiff is Quincey Williams, one of two men who say they were shot at by Mayweather's bodyguard Ocie Harris outside the Crystal Palace Skating Center.
Williams, who has publicly said he believes Mayweather told Harris to shoot at him, is being represented by high-profile attorney Robert Eglet in the negligence lawsuit filed Tuesday in District Court, according to court records.
Williams also accused Mayweather in November 2010 of trying to force his vehicle off the road in a road rage incident. The allegation was investigated by Las Vegas police. Mayweather was not charged after the investigation.
Williams has told the Review-Journal that he has feared for his life since the skating rink shooting.
"He (Mayweather) feels like he's entitled to do whatever he wants and get away with it. He wants to walk around and intimidate people like he's some type of thug," Williams said after reporting the incident on the road.
Williams told the Review-Journal that he was a young boxer when he first met Mayweather after his success in the 1996 Olympics. Williams later worked for Mayweather but said he quit because of low pay.
The relationship soured in 2009 after Williams sent a text message to Mayweather saying he hoped the undefeated boxer would lose.
Months after the message was sent, on the evening of Aug. 23, 2009, Williams told authorities, Mayweather threatened his life at the skating rink on Boulder Highway, north of Flamingo Road.
Authorities allege that around 10 p.m. that day, Harris shot at a BMW containing Williams and another man, Damein Bland, as the vehicle was leaving the skating rink. The car was hit six times.
No one was injured, and Mayweather was not charged.
Harris, of Chicago, was indicted on two felonies, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, in connection with the shooting. He remains free on bail awaiting a February trial.
Williams could not be reached for comment about the lawsuit.
Attorney Mark Ferrario, who is defending Mayweather in other civil cases, did not return a call seeking comment.
In recent months, several other lawsuits against Mayweather have popped up, in which the boxer is accused of ordering bodyguards to assault and intimidate people in Las Vegas.
In June, Anthony Cliff alleged that Mayweather ordered three of his bodyguards to assault him at the Palms valet entrance on May 27, 2010, after he had been told not to photograph the boxer.
According to Cliff's lawsuit, Mayweather made a " 'thumbs down' sign or gesture to the bodyguards, which was a signal for the bodyguards to attack."
Mayweather also is being sued by a bouncer at the Strip nightclub Drai's who said he was assaulted by the boxer's bodyguard Jan. 2. In a lawsuit filed in May, Clay Gerling alleged that an unknown bodyguard for Mayweather "maliciously assaulted and battered plaintiff, by grabbing the plaintiff, and choking him" after he asked for identification from Mayweather and others in his entourage.
In criminal court, the boxer faces two misdemeanor harassment counts after an October confrontation with Southern Highlands security guards over parking issues.
Mayweather faces a misdemeanor battery charge in connection with a Nov. 15, 2010, incident involving another guard, Shayne Smith. A bench trial in that case is set for Nov. 4.
Mayweather also faces an Oct. 20 preliminary hearing on felony charges, including coercion, grand larceny and robbery, in connection with a Sept. 9, 2010, incident with his three children and their mother, Josie Harris. Mayweather is free on $31,000 bail in that case.
Both criminal cases have been delayed by Mayweather's defense lawyers until after a scheduled fight with Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden.
Meanwhile, boxer Manny Pacquiao, considered by many the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, is suing Mayweather over accusations that Pacquiao was using performance-enhancing drugs.
The 2009 lawsuit followed talks for a fight between the two that fell apart over Mayweather's demand that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests before the bout.
Mayweather has failed to appear at multiple depositions ordered in that case.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
Source: lvrj.com
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