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More than a year after a violent incident on a JetBlue flight during which Mike Tyson was seen punching a man who was allegedly harassing him, the victim’s attorneys approached the boxing legend seeking a payment.
In a letter to celebrity attorney Alex Spiro, who represents Tyson, Melvin Townsend’s attorneys wrote that they are demanding a $450,000 settlement, in exchange for which Townsend will decline to file a “future lawsuit.”
“If we cannot reach an agreement, we will continue to prepare Mr. Townsend’s case to file a lawsuit,” wrote Jake Jondle, who represents Townsend.
Spiro responded to the letter by simply saying: ‘I have received an extortion letter related to the harassment of Mike by an instigator a year ago and its consequences. There will be no compensation payment.
In a video taken on April 20, 2022, Tyson was seen repeatedly punching a man on a plane bound for Florida. The man was left with cuts on his forehead.
It was later revealed that Townsend had previously had a pleasant interaction with Tyson, of whom he is a fan, but continued to bother the boxer in a way that got on Tyson’s nerves.
Tyson also alleges that Townsend threw a water bottle at him, which Townsend denies. Neither man has been criminally charged in connection with the incident.
Mike Tyson, on camera, was caught repeatedly punching Melvin Townsend after getting irritated with him on a flight to Florida.
Townsend now expects a settlement of nearly half a million dollars from Tyson.
In the letter, Jondle wrote: ‘There is no need for a lengthy summary of the facts in question: the video of Mr Tyson repeatedly punching Mr Townsend is widely available on the internet. In short, our position is that Mr. Townsend was excited to see his client on the flight, started talking to him about the marijuana and psychedelic mushroom industry, and Mr. Tyson became upset.
‘Mister. Tyson then reached across the seat, grabbed Mr Townsend by the collar of his shirt and proceeded to repeatedly punch him in the head.
The letter included a list of medical complications and expenses Townsend faced after the altercation.
Jondle claims his client experienced head and neck pain, as well as loss of consciousness, concussion and head contusion. She also suffered nausea, headaches, depression, memory problems, sleep problems, mood disturbances, vertigo and compromised vision as a result of the violent incident.
The document sets out a series of medical costs Townsend has been forced to endure for treatment after the beating, including visits to a neurologist, a psychologist and a back pain specialist.
The costs described in the table provided by the attorneys amount to approximately $12,500. At the time of the altercation, Townsend did not have health insurance, according to her attorneys.
Townsend’s lawyers claim that Tyson, the “former undisputed heavyweight champion,” was well aware of his ability to “cause serious injury to another person.”
“There were several remedies available to Mr. Tyson, but he chose violence.”
The letter then cites Tyson’s later appearance on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night television show as evidence that he was wrong.
Speaking about the plane incident, Tyson said: ‘Hey, listen, I’m usually good at this stuff. I was wrong, that should never have happened. That’s me in my primitive childhood stages, I shouldn’t have done that, but I was irritated, tired, high and angry. Shit happens.’
Before boarding the flight from San Francisco, Tyson had been celebrating the 4/20 cannabis-themed “parties” on the city’s Hippie Hill.
The victim (standing) made continuous gestures towards the camera during the incident.
Tyson is seen in one video at his breaking point, when he turns around and begins punching Townsend after becoming increasingly irritated by the overzealous fan.
Townsend’s lawyers claim that Tyson, the “former undisputed heavyweight champion,” was well aware of his ability to “cause serious injury to another person.”
The week of the altercation, Tyson was seen leaving the Eden Rock Hotel, where he was led to a waiting car. He was scheduled to attend the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in South Florida.
Several weeks after the interaction, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe decided not to file charges against Tyson.
In a statement at the time, Wagstaffe said his office declined to file misdemeanor assault charges because of “the victim’s conduct leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests from both the victim and Mr. Tyson.
Both Tyson and Townsend are ex-convicts. Townsend, originally from Punta Gorda, Florida, has served prison sentences of 20 and 15 months for a variety of crimes, including possession of oxycodone, robbery, grand larceny, fraud and trafficking in stolen property, according to a records search. In a 2018 incident, he stole a trailer by trespassing and hitching the unit to his truck.
Townsend was last released from a Florida prison in July 2020 after serving 15 months of a 25-month sentence for that incident and the use of fraudulent personal identification. He previously served time for trafficking in stolen property in 2009 and 2010.
In 1992, Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of rape. He was released in 1995 after three years.