David Otunga has taken a hard look at the lawsuit filed against Montez Ford and WWE, and based on the footage that’s out there right now, he’s not exactly convinced the case against them is a strong one.
Cook County Sheriff’s officer Noel Lucas filed the lawsuit on October 14 over an interaction with Ford during the July 6 episode of WWE Raw. Lucas claims Ford performed an unwanted “lap dance” while he was working security and alleged that Ford’s left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against his leg. The suit includes 14 counts, including battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and alleged violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act.
Otunga, who is not only a former WWE wrestler but also a Harvard Law graduate and Illinois attorney, broke down the viral footage on his YouTube channel and immediately zeroed in on one huge issue — he couldn’t actually see the physical contact Lucas described. Watching the clip, Otunga said Lucas looked like he was trying to keep a straight face while Ford was clearly playing up the moment.
“You see Lucas trying to keep a straight face. There, he’s starting to crack a smile. Tez is really getting into there. He’s smiling and looking away, trying to conceal his laugh. He looks a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, it does seem that he’s aware this is a joke.”
That was only part of Otunga’s problem with the lawsuit. He said the angle being circulated doesn’t appear to show Ford repeatedly rubbing against Lucas at all.
“The interesting thing is, from this vantage point, I don’t see the physical contact. Now, the screen is cut off a little bit, but remember, it alleges that Montez’s left thigh, his inner thigh, makes unwanted contact. I’m keeping my eye on it there. It’s further away from him. So, if there is contact, it would appear to only be incidental. Like, it doesn’t look like it’s intentional.”
Otunga kept watching and still didn’t see what Lucas alleges happened.
“I haven’t seen any contact yet. Now, there may be other angles where you can see it more clearly, but at least from this angle, I don’t even see that contact, which is going to be a bit of a problem for Mr. Lucas, who’s alleging battery, civil battery.”
From Otunga’s perspective, the whole thing looked much more like Ford trying to get a laugh than anything malicious.
“So, this just looks like Tez trying to entertain the crowd, trying to make this guy laugh and probably trying to pop Dawkins and everybody else. Everybody seems to be having a good time.”
He admitted the spot could technically be described as a lap dance, but said the context mattered.
“All right, it is somewhat of a lap dance. But, hey, Montez Ford is a playful guy, and he’s just having fun. This definitely is a comedic spot and seems like it was harmless to me.”
Otunga was careful not to claim Lucas’ facial expressions prove anything by themselves. He made it clear that another camera angle could change the situation completely, especially because parts of their legs are blocked in the footage.
“Again, I don’t see clear physical contact being made. Could another angle show something that this one doesn’t? Absolutely. Because parts of their legs are obscured.”
However, he said there would still be a major difference between an accidental brush and the repeated, intentional contact described in the lawsuit.
“But if there was a brief brush, I’d want to know whether it was incidental. That would be different from the repeated intentional rubbing that’s alleged in lawsuit. So, I can’t confirm that allegation from this angle though.”
When Otunga finally gave his overall verdict, he landed firmly on Ford and WWE’s side based on what has been made public.
“Well, on the public evidence we’ve discussed, I lean towards the defense on the claims about Ford’s conduct.”
He was especially skeptical of Lucas’ emotional distress claim, saying the footage looked more like a joke that Lucas understood was happening.
“I’m particularly skeptical of the emotional distress claim on the record. I really am. It looks like Lucas knew that this was a joke. Clearly, Montez intended this to be a joke. I just don’t see there being legitimate emotional distress.”
Otunga didn’t completely write Lucas off. He acknowledged that another angle, witness testimony or additional evidence could change his analysis. Still, based on the videos he reviewed, he doesn’t see the battery claim holding up.
“If another angle or credible testimony establishes deliberate repeated contact, then the battery analysis changes substantially. But from the video angles we’ve seen, I don’t see any contact. If there’s any contact, it does not look deliberate to me. So I think battery fails.”
He also said several other theories in the lawsuit could run into trouble if Lucas cannot establish unwanted contact, a reasonable anticipation of contact or severe emotional distress.
“If the evidence shows no contact, no reasonable anticipation of unwanted contact, as is needed for assault, and a brief comic interaction without the required severe distress, several essential theories have serious problems.”
That said, Otunga stopped short of predicting a total courtroom wipeout. He noted that surviving an early motion is not the same thing as winning at trial, and winning one claim is not the same thing as proving massive damages.
“A sweeping victory or major trial award for Lucas, I don’t know if I see that by what we’ve seen so far.”
Then there’s the big WWE question — could the company simply decide to pay Lucas and make the whole thing disappear? Otunga said that’s absolutely possible, even if WWE believes it has the stronger case.
“Could WWE settle anyway? Potentially. I mean, settlement is a realistic possibility, even when the defendant believes it has a strong case. I think that Montez Ford and WWE have a strong case. I really do.”
He pointed out that lawsuits cost money, create bad publicity and always come with some level of risk. Because of that, WWE could decide that settling is simply the smarter business move.
“It might be more cost effective and from a PR standpoint to come to a settlement and just make this go away. Because again, litigation still carries a risk.”
Otunga also made it clear that a settlement would not automatically mean WWE or Ford were admitting Lucas’ allegations were true.
“Paying to resolve a dispute can be a smart business decision. Again, it isn’t necessarily an admission that the allegations are true.”
At the same time, nobody should assume WWE is just going to cut a check.
“Don’t assume WWE is just automatically going to write a check. Now, it may believe the evidence favors Ford, reject the amount requested, or decide defending the case is worthwhile.”
For Otunga, everything still comes back to one simple issue: Lucas says unwanted physical contact happened, but the viral footage doesn’t clearly show it.
“For me, the central issue is this: The lawsuit describes unwanted physical contact. But in the viral video, it doesn’t clearly establish that contact ever occurred, at least not from this angle.”
And until stronger evidence surfaces, Otunga sees a very believable defense for Ford.
“I see plausible explanation that Montez Ford was trying to make the guard laugh. This clearly looks like a joke. That’s a defense worth taking serious.”
This lawsuit still has a long way to go, and another angle or stronger evidence could completely change how the situation looks. But based on what’s public right now, Otunga sees some real holes in Lucas’ case and believes Ford and WWE are sitting in a pretty solid position.
Do you agree with David Otunga’s take on the Montez Ford lawsuit, or do you think Lucas could still have a strong case once more evidence comes out? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
