The man who was punched by boxer Mike Tyson on a Jet Blue flight will let the matter go for the price of $450,000.
Melvin Townsend, who was repeatedly punched by Tyson on an airplane in 2022, is seeking a $450,000 “pre-litigation settlement demand” for “injuries and damages” he allegedly suffered as a result of the incident, the New York Post reported.
Attorney Jake Jondle is representing Townsend and sent the demand letter to Tyson’s attorney, Alex Spiro, which noted that “immediately after the incident, Mr. Townsend had a severe headache and neck pain” and claims he is “still suffering with the effects of the assault to this day.”
Jondle also claimed that his client couldn’t get medical attention because, at the time of the incident, he didn’t have insurance and added that Townsend has lost several jobs since the incident because of the “unfortunate notoriety he experienced” following the video of the incident going viral, the Bleacher Report reported.
“As a former undisputed heavyweight champion, the potential to cause severe injuries to another person goes without question,” Jondle continued. “There were several other remedies available to Mr. Tyson, but he chose physical violence.”
But Spiro is fighting back, calling the letter a “shakedown” and said there would be no settlement payout.
The San Mateo County (California) District Attorney Office’s declined to press charges against Tyson following the incident.
At the time of the incident, Tyson’s rep released a statement saying, Townsend had been “aggressive” and “began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him.”
