CLEVELAND, OH – Today, a Northeast Ohio woman sued professional boxer Adrien Broner for damages arising from a June 8, 2018 incident at The Park Social Lounge in Cleveland.

Mr. Broner has a professional record of 33–4–1–1, with 24 knockouts. He has competed most recently in the welterweight division.

The suit alleges that Mr. Broner attacked the victim, whom he had never met, as she sat with two other women on a couch in the crowded nightclub. According to the complaint, Mr. Broner “thrust himself on to [the victim], pinned her beneath his body, and began kissing her.” The suit alleges that she struggled to free herself but was unable to push him off of her as he stuck his tongue down her throat, kissed her neck and body, and continued pressing himself on her. The complaint alleges that one of Mr. Broner’s friends pulled him off of her after a bystander snapped a photo of the assault.

The victim immediately reported the crime to Cleveland police. Mr. Broner was indicted on October 29, 2018. On April 8, 2019, he pleaded guilty to assault and unlawful restraint. He was sentenced to probation.

The suit alleges claims for assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil liability for criminal acts. The victim seeks economic, non-economic, and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees. As a sexual-assault victim, she is proceeding under a pseudonym, Katherine Larson, to protect her family’s privacy and out of fear for their safety. She and The Chandra Law Firm LLC respectfully ask that media respect her privacy.

The victim's lead counsel, Subodh Chandra said, “While we may never know why Mr. Broner decided to walk up to a perfect stranger and attack her, we do know he did a better job of keeping his hands to himself during the Pacquiao fight than he did at Park Social. Women have a right to exist in public spaces without being manhandled. The brave women who take a stand against this type of abuse are helping to bring about a world in which everyone’s bodily integrity is respected.”

The case is captioned, Larson v. Broner, and was filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. The complaint is available here.

Subodh Chandra and Brian Bardwell of The Chandra Law Firm LLC represent the plaintiff.