Army Corner Suing R&B’s Patti LaBelle

35 Comments

Here’s a story you don’t hear every day – a famous R&B singer was the cause of the beating and demotion of an Army football player.

Richard King reportedly was beaten by bodyguards for Patti LaBelle while King was in his hometown, Houston, for spring break on March 11. According to a lawsuit filed by King, he was beaten after LaBelle thought he was standing too close to her luggage at the airport.

LaBelle’s people claim that King – who would have been a fifth-year senior this fall – was drunk, disorderly and causing problems. Whatever the case may be, they sent him to the hospital, inflicted possible football career-ending injuries, caused his demotion from second lieutenant to private and now led to him being deployed for active duty after the limo driver – LaBelle’s son – filed a report with police.

Dr. Saturday has the whole story below and there’s even video footage available.

LaBelle’s luggage reportedly was not damaged. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

[Dr. Saturday]

2:24 PM on 6/5/2011

Brian Smith

SHAME!!!
John Anderson

That fat cow ought to start signing checks over to the kid. Seriously, is her luggage worth this kids life? Who the hell does she think she is?
Rick

I see Houston police there. They should be sued.
Robert Quinn

I hope someone knocks her and her son out… Typical Diva.
John Doe

The video shows the body guards first attacking King, who was on his cell phone. I hope King wins his suit. It is obvious that King was acting just as any other normal person would act.

The Houston police are a disgrace. They should terminate the two police officers who took videos/pictures with Ms Labelle.
patti sucks

Sorry Patti, you hired some dumb a** body guards. They acted like thugs trying to be tough when you were not even in harms way. Hopefully you will learn to stop being so stuck up and also fire the thugs and hire some intelligent guards who can communicate by talking as well. Good luck trying to prove to the court some decently dressed white guy on a cell phone had potential to kill you or harm you. He probably still doesn’t know who you are, unless he asked him mom or grandma.
Paul

The bodyguards’ conduct was criminal and they should be charged, and, yes, she should be writing checks. Even if he was drink on his ass, he does not appear to have been a threat to Patti, and there is no excuse. These guys were probably bullies or thugs before the incident.
Libertyisstillalive

The video tells it all! What kind of mind set must exist within LaBelle and her people for them to blatantly and without impunity assault an innocent person passing by on their cell phone! What does this say about a “star” who can then stand over the person’s BLOOD on the ground and pose for pictures? Holy Father in heaven! If LaBelle even CLAIMS to be Christian she has a HUGE amount of soul-searching and reparations ahead of her. Let’s just say she better hope she doesn’t get what she (and her gang of thugs – oh yeah one’s her son BIG SURPRISE) what she deserves! The HPD officer who handled this and then called West Point to discredit one of our nations FINEST young people should be dismissed and no pension – no one should have the right to wrong/harm an innocent person and not have severe consequences.
wpsweeney

We can’t see everything on this video, but King appears to be busy talking on the phone, without posing a threat to anyone, before he gets punched. Then three guys on one?? As a D-I football player, he can’t be a wimp, so they had to tag him hard. I think someone in the Patti LaBelle camp is in trouble.
thrawn

I really hope this diva ends up loosing her lively hood over this.
Her music in now band in our home.
Hope the body guards go to prison for this.
Enough is Enough

Could you imagine the outcry form the “Black Community” if this were a “Black Cadet” beaten by “Three White Bodyguards” of a “White Music Star”?? Enough Said!!
What is this country coming to?

Patti LaBelle should be extremely embarrassed and ashamed for herself and her staff. What a simple way to ruin someone’s life. She needs to be sued and you would think with all those bodyguards around one of them could have been standing next to her luggage guarding it, to let a stranger know I guess that he was not supposed to get too close to it. King is a soldier who has committed to defend and serve the United States, he protects the freedom of Patti LaBelle and her bodyguards and this is just heart breaking to see the video. He needs an apology. And her bodyguards need to be arressted for assault.
fellow soldier

This is simply amazing! The society in America we have all built that puts anyone “famous” on a pedestal caused this result. These “famous” people think they have a right to do whatever they want and live by a different set of rules. Not only do I think King should get a large sum of money, I think she should have to do a benefit concert with all the proceeds donated to the “Wounded Warrior Project.” When she does this she should also have to release a statement describing exactly what happened and why she is doing a benefit concert. This would ensure she doesnt look like the good guy by trying to act like she is donated because she is simply a patriot.
DZ

What an arrogant person she is, I think she and her bodyguards should be charged, what a guy can’t stand on the side walk and talk on his phone because her luggage is there. I will never patronize her music and I will tell everyone I know what happened. And if I ever get the chance I will beat down her son and body guard and we will see how they like it!
DD

Please note at the end after his head clears he runs away in a straight line pretty good.

I doubt a drunk who just had a concussion could do it that good.

The other side’s story sounds trumped up to serve their purspose and HPD bought it.
J.D

IT is true if it had been a black man it would have been an out cry. I am a black man and a pro black man at that but these punks dont repersent me. RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG THESE MOTHERF***** ARE OUT OF BOUNDS . PEACE
JMac

This was terrible and certainly clearcut! Her body guards truly over stepped their protective boundaries!
Lonnie

That some BULL SH**!!!!!!! He could’ve been standing ANYWHERE HE WANTED!! THE LUGGAGE WAS TOO CLOSE TO HIM??? GIVE ME A F**** BREAK!!! I HOPE HE SUES AND WINS!!
James

Got to say that whether this kid was drunk and beligerent which honestly he doesn’t he was on the phone next to the curb. It looks pretty blatant that the body guard initiated the incident and this kid has witnesses. Patti is going to be signing a big check and the Army needs to reconsider their stance against this kid. With this kids injuries he doesn’t even qualify for active duty so the Army will not get him either way.
sam

who is fat labelle? i think she’s not that famous to even have bodyguards
Jack

He needs to sue her and the city! Most def Houston PD
Captain What the heck…

Amazing – probably a stand-up cadet with a great military career ahead of him as officer (now having to serve as a grunt), to protect thuds like this that should be in prison.

Officers getting pictures of the fat music thudet, rather than making sure the young man were okay.

Seriously – ask yourself if this were a black man being beaten – attacked by 3 white men – there would be riots in Houston, the black man would able to enjoy his rank in the military, the white singer would be in the poor house and a ruined career and reputation.

Since Pattie professes to be a Christian (she is really a wolf in sheeps clothes) – like her thuds attacked that man like a pack of wolves – typical, there kind cannot fight fair or one on one (attach first, in groups and play the race card — always a guaranteed win)…only in Amerika
Eric

This one is gonna be hard to beat and she should be trying to settle with this kid.
Michael

I’ve been a Pattie fan for years. From the tape you cant say that Pattie ordered her bodyguards to iniated this attack. The bodyguards were wrong in their actions. As the bodyguards employeer she should be responsible for their actions. Her taking pictures over the blood of the victim was a bad move. She should have been asking the policemen about the victim. The picture that is being painted of Pattie, in the one incedent, is not the image of her over the years. Pattie has done plenty things that helps rather than hurt over the years.
HOWEVER!!! I think she should and will have to pay for this incedent.
Fa Shizzle

I hope this kid gets paid, thats straight bs. Patti used to be one of my favorite singers back in the day, but after seeing this I have lost respect for her…..
Troy

Don’t hate on Patti Labelle!!! She didn’t beat dude down! These are grown azz men that are responable for there actions. He needs to sue the guys who beat his azz!!! You can’t really see what started the incident. All I see is the white boy standing by the bags, and the body guard walks over, they started pushing each other. The other guy jumps in and they beat the white boy down. I don’t see Patti throwing any punch.
joe kerr

patti is at fault, the poor cadet didnt deserve to be beat down like that, the bodyguards should have called the police if the cadet was doing anything wrong. disgusting houston polcie officers should be fired or suspended with out pay
Paul

To Troy:
The body guards (3) including her SON, all report to Ms LaBelle. She is ultimately responsible for their actions, not criminal actions, but civil actions. The drunk army guy needs to sue in civil court and Patti’s insurance rates will soar due to the obvious lack of proper training of her bodyguards. These things are simple and are taken care of by money.
So I disagree with you dont hate on Patti LaBelle. I do not hate her but she ultimately will be the one paying. Next time do NOT hire family members!
Paul

Poor Patti will have to work a lot more hours next year to pay for her liability insurance policy, that is if she can even get such a policy after this incident!
Doug

Although it’s not clear what started this, it definitely could’ve been handled better than what it was. I didn’t see any threat posed by the cadet drunk or otherwise on this video. And for the ARMY to destroy this guy’s career by reducing him to a pvt is even more outrageous. What did he do to deserve that? What UCMJ code did he violate? The HPD comes to the aid of Pattie who has bodyguards and they get their pictures taken. Typical America, the little guy gets screwed all the time.
TyeDyed

Patti should have to send her own son and the body guards over to Afghanistan to fight in the war and she should have to pay millions. The Army should be ashamed of themselves for the demotion after looking at this video. I have always liked Patti’s music but will never support her again now. What a shame to place luggage over a human life and the Houston police dept is a joke…standing there taking pictures with her. If the guy was such a threat then there wouldn’t have been time to get pictures on their personal cell phones. I hope he gets MILLIONS!
Joe

How different would this story across the nation be if it were to been a bunch of white bodyguards that beat up a young black man?
Please

Sincere sympathy to Mr. King. He clearly didn’t do anything to warrant this kind of abuse. BUT YOU PEOPLE ON HERE CRYING FOUL OVER RACIAL INJUSTICE ARE A JOKE! I don’t think anyone here REALLY wants to go tit-for-tat with the Black & Latino communities in America when there’s two Centuries (and counting) worth of this kind’ve police brutality on INNOCENT victims. Let’s just all agree that police brutality is not only deplorable, but ALSO against the law. Hope Mr. King gets all the restitution coming to him.
concerned

“How different would this story across the nation be if it were to been a bunch of white bodyguards that beat up a young black man?”
Amen!
Bo

Patti look bigger than all her body guards. Probably doesn’t even need them! Maybe she should fire them and save the extra money.

Army Corner Suing R&B’s Patti LaBelle

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