Personal Injury Law

Gary Coleman Settles Injury Lawsuit With Fan

By Michael

Actor Gary Coleman opted to settle a personal injury lawsuit filed against him and his former wife by disgruntled fan Colt Rushton.

Dustin Lance, injury attorney for Rushton, said the suit was settled within the last 30 days. Court records revealed that the injury lawsuit against the actor, best known for his role in the sitcom ?Diff?rent Strokes,? was dismissed on January 12, the Associated Press reported.

Rushton?s suit against Coleman stemmed from a September 2008 encounter at a bowling alley in Payson, Utah, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City. Coleman was bowling with his bodyguard and wife Shannon Price, when Rushton took a few photos of Coleman with a cell phone camera, according to court documents.

While in the bowling alley parking lot, Rushton reportedly snapped a few more photos of Coleman?s pickup truck before Price reportedly snatched the phone out of his hand. While Rushton and Price were arguing, Coleman hit Rushton with his truck while backing out of his parking spot, AP reported.

Rushton?s attorney said he sustained during injuries to his knee from the accident that required the input of an orthopedic surgeon, although it was not clear if Rushton did undergo surgery since the incident.

?He?s not on crutches, but there is quite a bit of pain,? Lance told the AP in 2008.

In October 2008, Coleman pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving in Payson-area court. Coleman?s attorney, Randy Kester, originally said a plea deal was not considered, because Coleman was not guilty of doing anything illegal.

But about a month later, Coleman was back in court with a plea of no contest for the charges, according to AP.

?It was kind of a compromise. It’s the kind of case we could probably have taken to a jury trial, but it would’ve taken two days and wasted a lot of state resources and a lot of our resources,? Kester said in 2008. ?We constructed it ourselves and just tried to come up with a way to resolve the city’s concerns and at the same time protect Mr. Coleman.?

Lance did not elaborate any further about the terms of the settlement and Kester declined to comment about the recent decision to settle out of court.

The bowling alley confrontation was not the first time Coleman dealt with Utah police. Earlier in 2008, Coleman was cited for disorderly conduct after a heated argument with Price while they were driving in his pickup truck.

Coleman was ordered to pay a fine for the charge.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on January 24, 2010 (boomark / email).