According to the Sun Herald Boosie Badazz has been ordered to pay $233,128.54 to security officer Glen Kerley, who said in U.S. District Court on Tuesday that he was the one assaulted when a melee erupted outside Dillard’s at Edgewater Mall during black spring break 2017.
U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. entered a default judgment because Boosie failed to show up in court and has not responded to court pleadings since his attorney withdrew from the case in March.
After 10 minutes of testimony from Kerley, Guirola found that Boosie and a security guard, Larry Anderson, intentionally assaulted Kerley. Kerley is still receiving treatment for the concussion and neck injuries he suffered when Boosie, Anderson and a crowd jumped on Kerley after he pepper sprayed them to get them out of the department store.
“I basically went to the ground and lost consciousness,” said Kerley, who sued Boosie and Anderson for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence and civil conspiracy.
Boosie and Anderson counter-sued Kerley for abuse of the legal process, intentional interference with business relations, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence, but never pressed those claims.
Boosie has a separate case pending against Dillard’s, which had an attorney in court to monitor Tuesday’s hearing.
Kerley told Guirola that Boosie and his entourage had been ordered to leave Edgewater Mall before they entered Dillard’s. He said he was just trying to get them out of the store without a disturbance. He pepper sprayed Boosie and members of the group when they refused to leave.
Kerley said he did not know what had happened before the group arrived at Dillard’s, but they had been told to leave the mall. Kerley testified only about what happened after the group refused to leave and he pepper sprayed them.
He said that he was attacked as soon as he got the group outside Dillard’s south entrance. He identified Boosie and Anderson as two of the many people who attacked him.
“It was just a meleé of arms and feet at that point,” Kerley said.
Kerley said he went to the emergency room at Merit Health and was unable to work for five days. He is still under a neurologist’s care, he said.
From the bench, Guirola broke down the judgment against Boosie and Anderson:
▪ $24,422.14 for medical expenses
▪ $706.40 in lost wages.
▪ $100,000 in punitive damages
▪ $58,000 in attorney’s fees.
▪ And post-judgment interest.
