Scottie Pippen was accused of assaulting a man outside a restaurant in Malibu and sending him to the hospital last month, but the former Chicago Bulls star was not arrested. A story later came out claiming that Pippen acted in self-defense and was being harassed by the alleged victim while he was eating dinner with friends and family. Now, the victim is suing Pippen.
Attorneys for 49-year-old Camran Shafighi filed a $4 million lawsuit against Pippen on Thursday claiming he suffers from headaches, nausea, difficulty breathing and other medical issues stemming from Pippen’s alleged attack on him.
“This has been pretty devastating to him,” Shafighi’s lawyer Lee Boyd told the LA times on Thursday. “This was not the result of some drunken barroom brawl. This is a guy who wanted to take a picture with a cellphone.”
Boyd claims Shafighi simply requested a photo with Pippen for his girlfriend’s 12-year-old son when he was knocked to the ground with a single punch and kicked while he was unconscious.
Police continue to investigate the alleged assault. Pippen was sought out for a possible arrest shortly after the incident occurred, but he voluntarily spoke with investigators who decided an arrest was not warranted. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said witnesses told police the other man involved in the altercation with Pippen appeared to be intoxicated.
Even if Shafighi wins the lawsuit, $4 million might be aiming a bit high. Pippen works as a special advisor to the Bulls’ president and chief operating officer, but he is not as wealthy as you would expect a six-time NBA champion to be. He was reportedly in a ton of debt several years ago when he was flirting with the idea of an NBA comeback, so I doubt Pippen has millions of dollars lying around to shell out in a settlement.
