Bristol Palin Sued for Defamation Over 'Homosexual' Taunts
Bristol Palin is being sued for defamation following a heated confrontation that occurred between the single mother and a talent manager at a Los Angeles bar in September.
Stephen Hanks filed a defamation lawsuit in U.S. federal court in Los Angeles against the 21-year-old after learning that the incident was filmed for Palin's upcoming reality TV show "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp," according to The New York Daily News.
Hanks, 47, is also suing the Lifetime network, which will air Palin's reality show, and is reportedly seeking $75,000 in damages claiming that he never gave anyone permission to film the exchange which took place at the Saddle Ranch bar.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Bristol Palin's conduct was outrageous," the lawsuit states, according to the wire service. "Bristol Palin first accused Plaintiff of 'being a homosexual' in a degrading manner in front of others."
In a Youtube video that went viral immediately after the incident, Hanks is seen hurling insults at Palin as she rides a mechanical bull. He asks her a perverted question before referring to her mother, former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin as a "whore."
"Did you ride Levi like that? Your mother's a whore! Your mother's a f------ whore, she's the devil!" Hanks yelled.
"If there was a hell which I don't think there is one, she's gonna be there … she's evil!" he added.
A brave Palin is at first caught off guard by the insults but eventually confronts him.
"Why does she deserve that?" Palin asked Hanks, adding "Is it because you're a homosexual and that's why you hate her?"
The confrontation heats up with another patron hurling insults at Palin before she finally walks away.
Hanks also claims that the incident triggered emotional distress, which is allegedly suffered over Palin's questioning about his sexuality. He also claims that he was defamed by her allegations, and that the mother of one left California and returned to Alaska because of him.
"She then in a magazine article blamed Plaintiff for her decision to leave Los Angeles for Alaska even though she had purchased her home in Alaska ... more than two months before the encounter," the lawsuit states.
Hanks' lawyer Michael Gulden maintains that his client has filed the lawsuit because he is simply trying to "protect his rights," according to E! Online.
