Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin is being sued by a man who claims Mauldin beat him up in a nightclub over a spilled glass of champagne.
The lawsuit brought by Jean Lopez says he suffered multiple facial fractures.
“It was not a fight, it was an attack,” his lawyer Glenn Race said, via the New York Post. “He had surgery, he still has numbness on the affected side in his mouth area and traveling up to his ear. It’s a bad injury.”
The incident took place around 2:30 a.m. on April 2 in a New York City club and Mauldin was not arrested or charged. Mauldin’s lawyer says the allegations against him are false.
“Another individual struck the plaintiff. And that will be borne out by the witnesses and other parties involved,” defense lawyer Mitchell Schuster said. “We have a very strong case and I look forward to pursuing it. Lorenzo’s anxious to being exonerated. He was not involved.”
The Jets said through a team spokesperson that they are aware of the lawsuit but have no other comment.
A 2015 third-round draft pick, Mauldin played in 11 games last season, starting three.