Man Threw Banana Peel At Dave Chappelle, Now Sues Comedian
A New Mexico man threw a banana peel at Dave Chappelle in 2015, but now is suing the comedian and his bodyguard. Back in 2015, 30 year-old Christian Englander was arrested after throwing a banana peel at comedian Dave Chappelle in an act he called "racist." Englander said he drank a shot bottle of 99 Bananas, ate a banana and for some reason kept the peel in his back pocket. During the show, Englander launched the fruit peel at the stage and hit Chappelle in the leg. He was arrested and police said the man appeared to be heavily intoxicated while speaking to authorities. After being escorted from the theater, he admitted to throwing the banana and was unapologetic for his actions, per the police. The comedian said he wanted Englander to be arrested and charged for his actions.
Now, it looks like Englander is suing the comedian and his bodyguard for an alleged assault that happened that he hadn't made public until now. Englander said he was being restrained by security when Chapelle's bodyguard hit him in the face twice "without provocation." According to the lawsuit,
"Defendant Chappelle had a duty to plaintiff to adequately and properly hire, train, supervise and discipline his security personnel and other employees and agents to ensure that members of the public were not subjected to assault, battery or excessive use of force."
Englander is seeking damages from Chapelle for "nonmedical expenses, physical and emotional pain and suffering, lost income and earning capacity and 'loss of enjoyment of life.'" Chappelle discussed what he calls "banana-gate" during a special for Netflix last year. The incident garnered headlines nationally and internationally, and condemnation from many in the Santa Fe community for Englander's actions towards Chapelle. The original mcharges against Englander were also dropped after the comedian decided to drop the charges. The initial police report of the incident also did not mention any assault by Chappelle's security towards Englander. You can read more about this story at the Santa Fe New Mexican.