Horiwood's Blog

NBC has just posted this account of Mario Lavandeira’s lawsuit lodged against Polo Molina. Here’s their account, see Horiwood’s 10 comments at then end of article:

“LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Perez Hilton has filed a lawsuit against Polo Molina, road manager for the Black Eyed Peas, stemming from an incident following the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday evening in Toronto that left the celebrity blogger with a cut under his eye.

Perez filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, claiming battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is asking for a judge to award him monies in excess of $25,000 for general damages, as well as additional amounts for medical bills and expenses and punitive damages.

In his lawsuit, Perez, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, claims Molina intended to “intimidate and silence” the writer “from negatively commenting about the Black Eyed Peas and their latest album ‘The E.N.D.’ on the perezhilton Web site.”

Perez claims that on Sunday, Black Eyed Peas’ member Will.i.am. made “belligerent demands” that the blogger stop posting information about his group on the Web site, and when he “refused to concede,” Molina allegedly “engaged in a brutal physical assault of Lavendeira outside of the Toronto nightclub Cobra.”

In filing the lawsuit, Perez claims he is looking to “Protect his Constitutional right to express his opinions and to be free from physical violence and intimidation for exercising these rights…. No matter how angry Molina and his entourage may have been, no matter how much they disagree with Lavandeira’s opinions, they did not have, nor do they ever have, the right to try and inflict physical harm on him or anyone else.”

Perez claims he was pushed backstage at the MuchMusic Video Awards by an unnamed member of the Black Eyed Peas’ entourage, a short while after singer Fergie confronted him about posts he had written about the group.

After leaving a post-show party at Toronto club Cobra, Perez has claims in his lawsuit that Will.i.am, “in an openly hostile and extremely aggressive manner, marched up to Lavandeira and began screaming at Lavandeira, within inches of his face, demanding that Lavandeira no longer speak about the Black Eyed Peas.”

Later, the blogger claims he eventually decided to “stand up to the strong-arm tactics of will.i.am” and engaged in a “further verbal exchange.” Perez does not in his lawsuit explain, as he admitted on his Web site, that he shouted in Will.i.am’s face and used a gay slur, one that he has been condemned for using by the Peas member and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organization.

Perez claims it was while standing outside Cobra, “Molina punched Lavendeira from behind, hitting him in the face.” He alleges he was hit “two or three more times in the face” and called the incident “violent and malicious.”

Perez claims in his lawsuit that he returned to his hotel and was “followed” by Will.i.am “and his entourage.” In fear for his safety, he claims he called the police. On Sunday night, Perez hit up his Twitter page, where he posted several messages asking his fans to call the authorities. However, he makes no mention in his suit about asking his followers on Twitter to call the police.

As a result of the alleged punches from Molina, Perez claims he “was hurt and injured in his health, strength, and activity, sustaining injury to his nervous system and person, all of which have caused, and continue to cause, Lavandeira great mental, physical, and nervous pain and suffering.”

He claims he has “suffered humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, and has been injured in mind and body.”

A rep for Molina was not immediatley available for comment.”

HORIWOOD: What are your thoughts? Mine are:

1. Perez Hilton wants money. $25,000+ for being a brat, is not cool behavior to be rewarded by a judge.

2. He initially tweeted and lied that Will I Am hit him, when he did not.. so Mario Lavandeira wanted fame at any cost.

3. Assault with one’s mouth or words on a blog to others reputations, is bullying. A smack to the head is NOTHING compared to the damage Lavandeira has caused The Black Eyed Peas.

4. When you label yourself a “Gossip Gangsta” of Hollywood, which is a tough city, why then proceed to post lies in the form of “Leave Britney Alone” styled emotionally charged childish video log on your blog about The Black Eyed Peas. Where’s the gangsta in that? It’s a farce.

5. To then proceed to post a statement, that weaves in gay rights, constitutional rights, to bad brat behavior (on one’s blog and in public at industry events), that one got called out on, is confusing the issues, and playing the gay card, to hide behind it, when one’s own actions aren’t being taken responsibility for in this stupid dispute.

6. Dude needs security. It’s reached that point in Hollywood now, for having ‘the most hated website in Hollywood.’ Hate breeds hate. So perhaps Lavandeira should change his hateful tone if he can’t handle the territory that goes with it.

7. To upstage Lady Gaga, who invited Lavandeira as his ‘industry date’ to her big night where she got honored as best international artist, is totally deplorable. Lady Gaga ended up supporting Lavandeira as he continued to add fuel to the fire with the Black Eyed Peas who were also award recipients being honored at the event for best International Group. To steal both of these artists spotlight is selfish brat pig behavior at a MUSIC (and not BLOG) industry event.

8. To use the ‘faggot’ word and yell it at Will I Am, clearly shows homophobic behavior from Mario Lavandeira. His publishing of Oscar Winner Dustin Lance Black’s gay naked sex pics on PerezHilton.Com also confirms that, as Lavandeira continually uses the gay community to his own advantage to grandstand for publicity (the NoH8 campaign and the Carrie Prejean ‘gay marriage’ question and persecution of Prejean debacle at the Miss USA pageant too) clearly shows; while he then seeks to embarrass and throw gay people under the bus, without a thought like he showed with Dustin Lance Black on his blog. Lavandeira is ‘unsafe’ to the gay community, that he claims he is a part of. Lies!

9. It’s embarrassing to see someone who psychologically bashes and bullies Hollywood stars on his blog each day, then cry like a child when confronted about his negative coverage of the same stars he bags, in person. It doesn’t fit, with the PerezHilton image and makes Lavandeira lose all credibility as he can’t take his own medicine he feels entitled to dish out.

10. The end result is… yet another overly entitled American child, not taking responsibility for his own action, using the court system to grandstand on and blame everyone else, while getting rewarded for it with dollars, media attention and pitiful sympathy seeking antics, that are the very thing that President Barack Obama, is trying to change and turn around in America for a better future.

It’s just wrong. Just as wrong as Polo Molina hitting Lavandeira in the face. Two wrongs don’t make a right. But Perez Hilton is not an innocent ‘victim’ that he’s suing for and that he claims. Makes me want to say… Just leave the Black Eyed Peas alone!

Your thoughts?!