UVA Honors Student Files $3M Lawsuit Against Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control After ABC Agents Stomp Him
11 years ago

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Back in March, Martese Johnson, like so many of us have in the past, allegedly tried to get into a pub on St. Paddy’s Day with a fake ID. Shortly after being turned away, like so many of us have been in the past, he was confronted by three uniformed ABC agents.

What happened next is a bit of a mystery, but it looks like they tried to make an arrest. Some kind of confrontation occurred and they beat the fuck out of the kid and literally shackled his ankles. Reports said he required ten stitches.

Video Below:

As if we need any more reasons to hate state alcoholic beverage commissions, it turns out the ID wasn’t fake. A breathalyzer test showed Johnson wasn’t intoxicated, either. From there, the entire shitshow went viral. The video led to protests, and eventually all criminal charges against Johnson were dropped in June.

The ID wasn’t fake, and he was sober? Christ. He would already have me beat in two categories. I fucking feel for this kid.

Trinity Irish Pub, the pub that Johnson was trying to get into, released a statement saying that Johnson “did not appear intoxicated in the least” and said that he simply walked off after being turned away.

After the charges were dropped, the agents in question received no punishment for their part in the fiasco. They have been returned to active duty. An internal ABC review determined that the agents “had not violated any agency policy.”

Luckily, like any dedicated drinker with a pair of nuts and a knowledge of the law would do, he filed a $3 million lawsuit against the state Department of Alcoholic Beverages, citing “use of unreasonably excessive force.”

The ABC has not commented yet. Hopefully, this kid comes out on top with some extra drink money in his pocket.

Image via YouTube

  2. HawaiianShirtFridays

    ABC in Charlottesville sucks. They pulled guns on some kids in a parking lot before.

    11 years ago at 11:10 am
  3. P.G.T Beauregard

    Fuck these guys. Absolute disgrace. We are all probably more educated than these fucks but when you point something out like that they get all macho. Fuck them.

    11 years ago at 11:14 am
  4. StupidLiberal

    This kid is definitely going to win. If the agents have no liability because they followed protocol, that means ABC is liable, and his suit can be larger. Honest kid though, $3 million, depending on damages, seems low. People literally sue because they were yelled at for more than that.

    11 years ago at 11:28 am
    2. CamBrady

      I haven’t read anything about the suit but if his attorney is sharp he’s going to name everyone he possibly can in the lawsuit. Bigger net you cast, more fish you can catch.

      11 years ago at 12:49 pm
      1. StupidLiberal

        Most attorneys work initially for “free” in lawsuits and take a percentage of what their client recovers. The client though is responsible for paying out of pocket for depositions of witnesses and doctors which can become very expensive. Casting a wide net is smart but just means you might be looking at multiple depositions and a trial to prove liability for each party. However it’s unlikely that it’ll make it to trial they’ll probably settle at a lower amount. Sucks when this type of thing happens to you, but at the same time it’s kind of like winning a mini lottery in the end.

        11 years ago at 2:34 pm
      2. Big_Lockwood

        ABC should be vicariously liable for the act of their agents, but their lawyer is going to try get the ABC off because their arrest polices will be considered a discretionary act and immune to suit under the law, so he will just be able to possibly recover vs. the agents.

        11 years ago at 3:35 pm
  5. MuscleyArms

    Majority of law enforcement officers barely have a GED. It’s scary to think that society’s retards are the ones given the authority to “protect and serve.”

    11 years ago at 11:33 am
    1. JonnyBananas

      That’s just not true. Regardless of your opinion, saying a majority barely has a GED just isn’t true.

      11 years ago at 12:32 pm
      1. MuscleyArms

        My apologies. I’m sure plenty of law enforcement earned a prestigious level of education at their local community college.

        11 years ago at 12:46 pm
      2. Being True

        It depends on the department, but most around where I am prefer or require a bachelor degree or higher to apply.

        11 years ago at 1:02 pm
      4. Cleetus

        There have been many instances of departments turning away potential officers because their IQ is too high

        11 years ago at 3:29 pm
      6. ThatDrunkBouncer

        He’s not wrong. Now, that varies from department to department, but many of the larger cities have this policy, with the underlying sentiment being that a high level of intelligence would lead to boredom on the job, and the associated negative effects, which are purported to be failure to do the job effectively or outright corruption. There have been a few rulings in recent years allowing departments to do this. That’s not to say that I haven’t met some extremely intelligent cops, especially in my line of work, but that is definitely not the norm.

        11 years ago at 9:23 am
  9. BlackWomen420

    That’s so fucked. Just another example of abuse of power in America. Fucking great just what we need

    11 years ago at 1:28 pm
  10. dubyas

    You forgot the most pertinent bit of information that makes it relevant to this site, which is that he is in Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Otherwise, this is just another #blacklivesmatter story.

    11 years ago at 5:23 pm