Crime & Safety
Lawsuit Filed Against Scottie Pippen in Malibu Assault Case
The man filing the suit says he did not fight back because he was knocked unconscious by the 47-year-old Pippen's first blow.
By City News Service
A man who alleges he was beaten last month by Scottie Pippen filed a lawsuit Thursday against the former NBA star.
Camran Shafighi, described in his suit as a 49-year-old self-made businessman, brought the action in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging assault, battery and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The fight occurred about 6:30 p.m. June 23 outside Nobu in the 22000 block of Pacific Coast Highway. Pippen went to the Malibu sheriff's station the next day for questioning, but he was released.
"Witness statements indicate that Scottie Pippen was one of the combatants in the altercation, and currently a named suspect for a charge of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm,'' a sheriff's department statement said.
Sheriff's officials have said Pippen has cooperated in the investigation. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, denied any wrongdoing by his client.
"We plan on exposing [Shafighi] as the fraud that he is,'' Geragos said.
According to Shafighi's complaint, he was attacked after he inquired about taking a photo.
"[Shafighi] approached [Pippen] on that Sunday afternoon simply to request a photograph with [Pippen] for the 12-year-old son of his girlfriend,'' the suit states. "Instead of a photograph for the boy, Mr. Shafighi received from Pippen .. a verbal assault, a spit in the face, followed immediately by a physical beating consisting of a shove, then a violent punch to the face and head that felled Mr. Shafighi.''
Pippen "repeatedly kicked Mr. Shafighi in the head, chest and body after Mr. Shafighi had been rendered helpless on the ground,'' according to the suit.
Shafighi did not fight back because he was knocked unconscious by the 47-year-old Pippen's first blow, the suit states.
"If Mr. Shafighi continues to be unable to return to work ... he stands to lose millions of dollars of future income that would provide for him and his family for the rest of his life,'' the suit states.
Shafighi's injuries are not only detrimental to him, but also to his three children who are dependent upon him for support, according to the suit.
Pippen, a 6-foot-8- inch Hall of Fame forward, played with the Chicago Bulls from 1987 to 1998, helping the team win six NBA titles.
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