Early Monday, a video surfaced showing Sacramento Kings teammates DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes exiting a New York City nightclub following an alleged fight. Shortly after, reports surfaced that Barnes was the focus of a New York Police Department investigation. On Wednesday, two individuals claiming that Barnes choked one of them filed a lawsuit.
As reported by TMZ, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell filed a lawsuit in New York City claiming that they were “innocently hanging out when Matt Barnes approached the former and began to choke her.” According to the suit, Powell said he tried to intervene when he saw the attack but was punched in the face by DeMarcus Cousins. The two claimed that following the series of events, Barnes elbowed Besiso in the face—knocking her unconscious. The two added that that’s when Cousins and Barnes proceeded to punch and kick Powell while he was on the ground.
Matt Barnes’ representative, as noted by TMZ, had a different version of the story, saying that his client was having a good time at Avenue Nightclub when he accidentally “butt bumped” a woman who was by a VIP booth next to theirs. Following the contact, the woman allegedly slapped Barnes in the face hard, which prompted the altercation that included DeMarcus Cousins. The NBA veteran’s rep also claims that the woman had a crew that included several men, who jumped in and prompted the violent altercation.
The original TMZ video appeared to show DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes talking about the altercation as they left the Chelsea neighborhood nightclub. The two left before police arrived at the scene. Earlier, Barnes’ attorney Alex Spiro told TMZ, “We do not believe a crime was committed and are hopeful no charges will be pressed,” adding “We are cooperating fully with authorities.”
