Don Lemon Accuser Drops Lawsuit, Recants Assault Claims Made Against News Anchor

A drink at a bar rapidly developed into an assault case for CNN's Don Lemon, which ultimately ended in a lengthy court battle.

At the time of the claimed assault, Dustin Hice, a bartender in New York's Hamptons, alleged that the journalist made derogatory remarks and acted inappropriately, which he saw as an attack. After more than three years after the lawsuit began, Hice recently dropped a bombshell that has turned the entire case on its head.

He has now retracted his claim, stating that his memories have since changed, leading to him dropping his assault action against Lemon.

Hice is now backing out of his long-running legal battle with Lemon, which began when he dragged the journalist to court for an alleged assault in a bar.

"After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon was not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit," Hice shared through his lawyers in an announcement as per TheWrap. "As a result, I am dropping the case."

Hice, who was not there at the time of the announcement, did not go into depth about his observations that led to his decision to withdraw the case against Lemon. However, most of the pronouncements made throughout the lawsuit suggested that the former bartender was already losing his hold on the issue, which may have affected his choice not to follow the matter through to its conclusion.

According to the complaint, Hice claimed that he lived in the Hamptons and worked at The Old Stove Pub in Sagaponack in the summer of 2018. After closing on July 15, he allegedly went to another pub, Murf's Backstreet Tavern, in Sag Harbor, with the owner and coworkers to party, where Lemon was lounging at.

Hice recognized the newsman at the pub and offered to buy him a vodka cocktail called a "lemon drop." Lemon allegedly refused the offer but subsequently contacted him inside the establishment.

"[Lemon] put his hand down the front of his shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into Plaintiff's mustache and under Plaintiff's nose," as per the now concluded court case, filed in Suffolk County Court.

Hice would, later on, have an interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show," where he further slammed Lemon, adding that the journalist felt he could act outside of authority due to his privileged status.

Lemon's lawyers have been quite loud with their statements since the commencement of the litigation. They undertook many investigations to help in unearthing the facts about the situation, leading to a lengthy discovery process in which Hice reportedly acknowledged deleting multiple social media posts.

According to Lemon's legal team, Hice intimated in texts to a crucial witness in the case that there may be a monetary incentive for testimony that corroborated his narrative. In the end, the former bartender was compelled to pay $77,000 in legal expenses to Lemon for allegedly deleting evidence.

Lemon's primary attorney, Caroline Polisi, branded the case a "crass money grab from the inception." Polisi also berated some media sites for "jumping to conclusions" and "unethical" reporting, saying that Lemon has been a continuous target for character assassination as a homosexual Black guy.

Lemon is openly homosexual and revealed his sexual orientation in his 2011 book, "Transparent," making him "one of the few openly gay black guys in broadcasting."

At the height of the assault scandal, CNN defended Lemon, accusing Hice of not only making a false allegation but also of being a CNN hater out for a quick buck. Lemon's work at the media outlet was unaffected by the allegations, and he eventually established his podcast during that time.

Lemon is now engaged to Tim Malone, a real estate agent whom he first met in 2016 and finally agreed to marry in 2019.