Who is Dustin Hice and what did he say about Don Lemon?
DON Lemon is an award-winning CNN journalist who was accused of sexually assaulting a man a number of years ago.
Lemon - who is openly gay and engaged to Tim Malone - was accused by Dustin Hice in a lawsuit filed in 2019 and dropped in 2022.
Who is Dustin Hice?
Dustin Hice is an ex-bartender from the Hamptons, New York.
He previously claimed that Don Lemon allegedly sexually assaulted him at the Sag Harbor dive bar, Murf’s, back in July 2018.
Hice went on to sue Lemon for damages of emotional pain and loss of earnings, as reported by .
The alleged attack, the suit claims, left Hice with “feelings of shame, humiliation, anxiety, anger, and guilt,” and affected his work in the Hamptons.
“This claim follows his unsuccessful threats and demands for an exorbitant amount of money from Don Lemon. Don categorically denies these claims and this matter does not merit any further comment at this time.”
Lemon's attorneys categorically deny all allegations against Lemon and accused Hice of withholding texts, deleting social media posts, and hiding a witness who has contradicted his claims.
Lemon's attorneys further claimed that Lemon “is often subjected to racist and homophobic harassment.”
What did he say about Don Lemon?
Appearing on the Megyn Kelly Show on November 8, Hice made several further allegations against Lemon.
He first made allegations against the anchor four years ago but appeared again on the show to reiterate a possible "pattern of behavior" by the host.
In a statement released at the time, Hice wrote that his “recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit.”
Lemon’s attorney Caroline Polisi responded by saying: "This has been a long and difficult journey for Don. Out of respect for the judicial process and my advice, he has had to remain silent in the face of a malicious and vulgar attack on his character."
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She added: "Unfortunately, being a gay Black man in the media, he has had to deal with these sorts of attacks for quite some time."
"The Court’s ruling fully vindicates Mr. Lemon and brings an end to this abusive lawsuit," Polisi concluded.