A West Point cadet says that he was given a beatdown by Patti LaBelle's bodyguards at a Houston airport after standing too close to her pricey luggage. He's suing the "New Attitude" singer for the March 11 incident, alleging that in this case, she had a cruel attitude. According to the Associated Press:
The lawsuit alleges the cadet, Richard King, was waiting for his brother and father to pick him up outside one of the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11, when three of LaBelle's bodyguards attacked him. King was in Houston, his hometown, while on spring break from West Point.
"Apparently, defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her (no doubt expensive) luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence and the danger he was in," according to King's lawsuit, which was filed in Houston civil court on Wednesday and also names the bodyguards, the airport and a taxi dispatcher as co-defendants. "LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards. They sprang into action."
One of King's lawyers, John Raley, said the alleged attacked resulted in a concussion and lingering dizziness and headaches for his client. The lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages.
LaBelle's publicist did not immediately return a telephone call Friday seeking comment.
Read more about the altercation and the lawsuit at MSNBC.com.
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Sheryl Huggins Salomon is senior editor-at-large of The Root and a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based editorial consultant. Follow her on Twitter.