Barkley reportedly reaches settlement with bar patron
Posted: Fri December 5, 1997 at 7:56 a.m EST
Charles Barkley, all-star forward for the Houston Rockets, has
reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement with the man he
was accused of throwing through a bar window in Orlando,
Florida.
The lawyer for Jorge Lugo, who got into an argument with Barkley
on October 26th and ended up going through a plate-glass window
at Church Street Station, told the Orlando Sentinel that he
was unable to disclose terms of the agreement.
"There's been an amicable resolution of the civil case," said
attorney Mark NeJame of Orlando. "Basically, my client signed a
declination of prosecution."
The Sentinel is reporting in today's editions that NeJame said
Lugo signed the agreement a few week's ago. Orlando police had
recommended on November 13th that Lugo should be charged with
battery after witnesses said the 20-year-old had tossed a glass
of ice at one of Barkley's friends.
Early on October 26th in Orlando, Florida, Barkley was charged
with aggravated battery and resisting arrest without violence
after allegedly throwing Lugo through a window. He has said he
was responding to the man throwing a drink on him.
Barkley was released on $6,000 bond and played that night in an
exhibition game.
Randy Means, a spokesman for the State Attorney's Office, told
the Sentinel that his office would make a decision next week
ehether to file formal charges against Barkley.
Barkley has had a handful of run-ins with the law, with this
being his second this year. On August 1st, a Cleveland jury
ruled in favor of him after Barkley was accused of attacking a
man in a nightclub.
Lugo has also run afoul with the law, getting arrested twice
this year by Orlando police. On September 9th, he was released
after serving more than three months on drug-related charges.
And served another night in early October after being charged
with carrying an open container of alcohol.
The 34-year-old Barkley is playing his second season with the
Rockets after being acquired for four players in August 1996. He
was limited to just 53 games last season due to injury, but
averaged 19.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists as Houston
finished 57-25 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
A perennial All-Star, Barkley spent eight seasons with the
Philadelphia 76ers and four more with the Phoenix Suns, forcing
trades out of both cities.
In the 1992-93 campaign, Barkley averaged 25.6 points, 12.2
rebounds and 5.1 assists, leading the Suns to the NBA Finals and
winning the Most Valuable Player award. He is one of just 10
players in history to record 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds
in his career.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
|
