Two of the club patrons claiming to have been assaulted by Matt Barnes and DeMarcus Cousins early this week are reportedly suing the Sacramento Kings duo.
In a lawsuit filed by the alleged victims, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell, explain a different version of the events than those claimed by Barnes to have taken place following the Kings matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. According to Barnes, he, Cousins, and some associates were partying at Avenue Nightclub early Monday morning when at some point he accidentally "butt bumped" a woman while returning to his booth in the VIP section. It was at that point, Barnes says, the woman turned and slapped him before he was confronted by a group of men in her entourage, one of whom tackled him to the ground and proceeded to choke him. Video of the NBA stars exiting the club shows Cousins rubbing his knuckles as he states "Aye yo the n***a was trying to choke Matt. I hit the s**t out this n***a."
Absent from Besiso and Powell's account is any occurrence in which Barnes bumped into Besiso. Rather, she recalls Barnes approaching her for reasons she claims to be unaware of. She says that Barnes then began to choke her, at which point Powell came to her defense. When Cousins interjected with a fist to Powell's face, Barnes released his grip on Besiso's neck then elbowed her, knocking her out. The suit claims, before leaving, Barnes and Cousins ensued to stomp Powell as he lay on the ground.
Attorneys for Barnes and Cousins maintain that their client's actions during the melee were taken in self-defense.
Source: complex.com
