A security guard was thrust into the action by WWE superstar Montez Ford during an episode of Monday Night Raw; now the man is suing the company and the professional wrestler.
Noel Lucas has accused Ford — real name Kenneth Crawford — and the WWE of assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims, according to the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, which was obtained by Post Wrestling.
The alleged incident took place during the July 6 episode of Raw, which took place at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., and was broadcast live on Netflix.
Ford, along with Street Profits tag team partner Angelo Dawkins, was making his entrance to the ring through the crowd when he stopped as he approached the ringside barricade, where Lucas was seated on duty.
How sexual is the dance?
The episode remains available to watch on Netflix, but appears to have been edited to cut away from Ford’s alleged interaction with Lucas during his entrance.
However, several users on social media have posted a clip of the dance online.
As Ford begins to dance while shaking his pelvis and thrusting near the seated Lucas, the security guard tries to look away several times.
The dance lasts for roughly 30 seconds before he and Dawkins hop over the barrier.
Why is Lucas suing Montez Ford?
Lucas, who is an officer with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, was working as off-duty security at the event. He claims Ford approached him without warning or consent and began dancing in a “sexually provocative” manner.
“Defendant Crawford then began performing a sexually provocative dance immediately in front of and over Plaintiff, repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized ‘lap dance,’” the lawsuit states, per Post Wrestling.
Lucas alleges that Ford moved increasingly closer and that his “left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Plaintiff’s leg.”
The lawsuit reportedly alleges 14 counts, including violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act.
With the clip going viral on social media — including on WWE’s and Ford’s accounts — Lucas claims that both he and his children were “mocked and ridiculed” over the footage.
“Members of the public recognized (Lucas) from the videos of the encounter that had circulated on social media and mocked him, thrusting their hips in his direction, imitating the sexual movements,” the lawsuit stated.
Lucas is seeking unspecified monetary damages, punitive damages, legal fees and a court order barring the defendants from using his identity.
WWE and Ford have not commented publicly about the lawsuit, which has a case management hearing scheduled for Dec. 10.