Katt Williams scored a major courtroom victory after a federal judge dismissed a long-running $20 million civil lawsuit accusing him of attacking four women outside an Atlanta nightclub nearly a decade ago.
The decision closes a legal battle that began when the women accused the comedian of a violent confrontation outside the Midtown nightclub.
According to court records, the women, Selena Boston, Jalisa Rhodes, Lutisha Martinez, and Lanette Washington, sued Williams for assault, battery, false imprisonment, slander, and emotional distress stemming from a February 28, 2016, altercation outside Lounge 360 in Midtown Atlanta.
They claimed Williams became aggressive after posing for photos, tackling Boston, punching and kicking her while his associates assaulted the others, throwing their belongings into the street, and pointing a gun while flashing gang signs.
Last week, Judge William M. Ray II granted summary judgment in Williams’ favor, finding that the women failed to serve him before Georgia’s statute of limitations expired. The ruling ends the lawsuit before it could reach trial.
The case was dismissed after they failed to properly serve Williams but was refiled in February 2023.
The judge noted that the women only made one attempt to serve Williams, during a performance in Greenville, South Carolina and then waited months before requesting U.S. Marshals to intervene.
Even after the court granted that request, the plaintiffs didn’t send the Marshals until two days before the filing deadline expired. Williams wasn’t actually served until December 29, 2023, 22 days too late.
The court rejected their argument that Williams’ celebrity status and security detail made him difficult to reach.
While this week’s ruling clears Williams of civil liability, he already faced criminal consequences for the same incident.
According to WSB-TV, Williams accepted a plea agreement in 2018 that spared him from prison time. The deal required him to undergo mental health evaluations and participate in a pretrial intervention program instead of serving a sentence.
The women later told WSB-TV they felt ignored by the plea arrangement, saying they weren’t properly informed of the deal before it was finalized.
“We felt very ignored throughout this entire wait,” said Selena Boston. Lutisha Martinez added, “We cannot ignore that this man has traumatized not only us, several other people.”
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