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More details emerged in former NFL player Michael Irvin’s case against Marriott. The hotel detailed what occurred between Irvin and the anonymous woman and said the surveillance camera captured it.
Judge Amos Mazzant ordered the Marriott to release the video, written reports and witness statements to the opposing side, which they failed to do. Mazzant said that the hotel “blatantly” breached the order. Marriott complied and gave the ordered documents to Irvin’s team but didn’t allow them a copy of the video. Irvin’s lawyer, Levi McCathern, watched the video with Marriott’s lawyers present, and he couldn’t have more than three people in the room.
“I am not accustomed to, as a judge, people violating my orders,” Mazzant said after hearing about Marriott’s restrictions.
Additionally, Mazzant required that the video did not have modifications, yet the video shown to McCathern blurred the woman’s face.
Mazzant gave Marriott’s lawyers until Thursday at 5 p.m. CT to provide McCathern with the video.
As Sis2Sis reported, Irvin filed a lawsuit against an Arionza Marriott employee, “Jane Doe,” who accused him of misconduct during their interaction on Feb. 5, causing him to lose job opportunities, including covering the 2023 Super Bowl — the reason he was staying at the Marriott’s Renaissance Phoenix Hotel & Spa in Arizona.
Irving accused the hotel of defamation and tortious interference with a business relationship. He’s seeking $100 million because of the opportunities he missed due to the allegations.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Chapman filed a motion in federal court alleging that Irvin called the woman employee over from the lobby’s bar. It said that the former Dallas Cowboy conversed with the employee while “visibly intoxicated,” asking about her job and informing her that he found her attractive. The motion claimed Irving introduced himself and instructed the woman to search for him on the Internet after she told him she didn’t keep tabs on the NFL.
“Irvin also reached out and touched the Victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to step back, becoming visibly uncomfortable,” Chapman wrote. “Ivrin then asked the Victim whether she knew anything about having a ‘big Black man inside of [her].’ Taken aback by Irvin’s comments, the Victim responded that his comments were inappropriate, and she did not wish to discuss it further.”
It said Irvin apologized for the possibility that his comments brought “bad memories” for her while trying to grab her hand. The document mentioned two coworkers were in the area and witnessed the encounter, noting the woman appeared uncomfortable. The document said the woman shook Irvin’s hand again to end the moment.
Chapman added that he told another employee, referred to as “Employee 1,” that he “wanted to hit that” and called the woman “bad.” It said he “slapped himself in the face three times, saying ‘Keep it together, Mike.'”
Chapman’s details differed from Irvin’s account and the account of witnesses from the scene that McCathern gathered.
Witnesses near Irvin said the former football star was taking photos with some people before a conversation between the woman and Irvin started. One witness seen on one video said the woman called Irvin over and called the encounter a “polite” and “friendly conversation.”
“They had a brief interaction (30 to 40 seconds), he kept his distance at all time…stood about a meter away from her. They ended it with a handshake,” the witness recalled.
Irvin’s lawyer, McCathern, described what was shown in the video. He said the “accuser” was behind the desk while Irvin was talking with a group of guys and taking group photos with them. The witness that called his interaction with the woman “friendly” was among that group.
McCathern stated that a pole sat in the middle of the screen, but the woman employee approached Irvin from behind.
“Michael doesn’t, and clearly, no one in the group notices her yet,” McCathern said. “Unfortunately, the exact moment that they meet is behind the pole.”
McCathern said that Irvin touched the woman four times: they did a greeting handshake, he touched her elbow briefly, accidentally brushed her other elbow as he leaned over while laughing and shook hands at the end.
Another witness named Bryn Davis explained what happened in the lobby over a video call, causing Irvin to get emotional. He said it puts him in a difficult position with fans because he doesn’t want something like this to happen again.
“Do I not talk to people?” He asked. “I know I didn’t do anything wrong…I was trying to do everything right.”
He mentioned that had he taken the picture moment with the group outside, he probably wouldn’t have had them as witnesses.
Irvin’s lawyer said the video would be released sometime next week.