Former mobster John Gotti Junior’s wife and daughter have been sued for $50 million by a family who the pair allegedly assaulted last year in New York, as their lawyer calls the suit ‘absolute hog wash’.
Jean and Crystal Etienne allege Kimberly and Gianna Gotti called their son a racial slur amid an expletive-ridden outburst during an incident on February 8 last year, according to the lawsuit.
The showdown took place during a basketball game at Locust Valley High School on Long Island and eventually escalated into a physical fight.
The pair’s misdemeanor third-degree assault charges were dismissed in October on a technicality.
Sons of both parties had been playing for opposing sides in the Oyster Bay vs Locust Valley game.
The Gottis have denied using racial slurs and insisted that Crystal Etienne had been the one who hurled insults at her son, Joe Gotti.
In the new suit, the Etienne family claim that Kimberly and Gianna were yelling ‘shut up’ and allegedly getting in the faces of other children in the stands before the incident occurred.
‘This aggressive behavior had gone on for the whole entire game without any intervention by, direction from, or warnings from officials,’ the suit claimed.
It furthers that the children that were ‘assaulted verbally’ by the Gottis had been removed by administrators, but they ‘allowed the Gottis to remain and harass those left in the gymnasium.’
When Etienne’s son was placed into the basketball game, the Gottis allegedly began yelling out derogatory names, the suit claimed.
‘F***ing monkey,’ was allegedly the first slur Kimberly yelled out as Etienne’s son went onto the court.
Crystal addressed the incident and said: ‘Please do not call my son. Please do not. They’re just kids.’
It was at this point, Kimberly allegedly ‘in a fit of race fueled rage’ physically assaulted both Etienne’s and their child, according to the suit.
‘Defendants Gotti hit, punched, scratched and ripped out Ms Etienne’s hair in front of students, faculty, school supervisors, school security guards… officials and agents,’ court documents stated.
A nearly one-minute video of the attack showed the alleged assault, according to the suit, where Gianna is said to have encouraged the ‘rip[pping of] her hair off.’
Mr. Etienne and their son then tried to help Crystal, at which point they too were physically assaulted, the suit claimed.
The new suit claimed that the incident is the result of years of ‘racist and degrading’ behavior at Locust Valley High School.
‘[T]he Etienne’s have been victims of the District ignoring, tolerating and perpetuating racist behavior and ideology in the past.’
‘Students and instructors have repeatedly voiced, and utilized electronic devices to utter racial words, including but not limited to, the ‘n’ word being played in classes,’ the suit claimed.
Etienne’s son was also falsely accused of marijuana use by school officials and assaulting a girl, according to the family.
The suit claimed that the family suffered ‘mental anguish, mental pain, psychological trauma, physical pain, and loss of self-worth’ due to the school district’s failed response.
The Gotti’s have repeatedly rejected plea deals that would have placed them in anger management programs, however, and insisted it was their family’s mobster fame that led the allegations.
Their lawyer called the new lawsuit, ‘absolute hog wash, totally frivolous and a waste of time,’ according to the New York Post.
‘They should leave the Gotti family alone. The case was dismissed because it had no merit,’ said attorney Gerard Marrone. ‘Crystal started the entire fight.’
Gotti Jr, 60, replaced his infamous father as Gambino crime boss after he was sent to prison in 1991.
He served as acting boss until 1999, when he was arrested on racketeering charges.
In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty and served just under seven years’ in prison. His dad died in prison in 2002.