Los Angeles Times: Antonio Brown sued after allegedly trashing his rental condo and throwing items from balcony (October 10, 2018)
By Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L. October 12, 2018
By CHUCK SCHILKEN
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown is being sued by two parties after he allegedly threw a number of large items — including two vases and an ottoman — off the balcony of his 14th-floor apartment back in April, according to multiple media reports.
Some of those items nearly hit a young child near the pool area of the Mansions at Acqualina apartment complex in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., according to the lawsuit. The toddler’s father, Ophir Sternberg, is accusing the six-time Pro Bowler of intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault.
“Mr. Brown’s out of control and inexcusable behavior could have killed my son. His reckless tantrum displayed complete disregard for the safety of others,” Sternberg said in a statement Tuesday. “We intend to hold Mr. Brown accountable, to hopefully ensure that something like this never happens again.”
Brown is also being sued by the owner of the multimillion-dollar condo he leased at the complex for damages to the unit and breaching the apartment agreement.
“The apartment was in shambles,” George A. Minski, the lawyer representing the condo’s owner, told ESPN. “Mirrors were smashed, tables were destroyed, there were holes and damages to the walls. Countertops were lifted off the deck. The unit is furnished with leather couches and love seats, and there were burn holes and black magic markers. It looked like they had rumbled. We tried to resolve it amicably and it got nowhere so we filed a lawsuit.”
Both lawsuits are seeking at least $15,000 in damages.
According to the police incident report, Brown called the police on the morning of April 24 and was “very agitated” and yelling at apartment security officers when the officers arrived.
Brown was upset because he believed the security officers set him up to be blamed for a robbery he reported to the police the day before, the report said.
The popular player then called police on a third straight day, April 25, to report a car theft, according to a police report, but he informed the officers when they arrived that the vehicle had been found.
Brown has not commented on the alleged incidents. A Steelers representative told ESPN the organization will not have a comment on the matter.