Man's lawsuit claims Eminem punched him ( Detnews)

Royal Oak plaintiff says he was hit after he and a friend greeted the rapper in a strip club bathroom.
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Mike Martindale / The Detroit News
PONTIAC — A Royal Oak man filed an assault and battery lawsuit Thursday against popular recording artist Eminem, claiming he was sucker-punched by the rapper two years ago while standing at a urinal at an Eight Mile strip club in Detroit.
Miad Jarbou filed a lawsuit in Oakland Circuit Court claiming the assault occurred July 13, 2006, at Cheetah’s. He said he noticed Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, enter the restroom with a large man he took to be a bodyguard.
Jarbou said a friend he was with said: “Hey Eminem, what’s up man?” and the bodyguard standing near the door told him to “Shut the (expletive) up, man! Don’t say another word.”
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Jarbou then responded: “Hey, man, my friend ain’t starting trouble. It’s just cool to see Eminem.”
Mathers allegedly stepped back from a urinal and “without warning or provocation … drove his fist in a violent punching manner” into Jarbou’s face, knocking him to the ground. Mathers and his bodyguard then left the men’s room, according to the complaint.
Neither Jarbou nor Mathers could be reached for comment Thursday. Mathers’ attorney did not return telephone calls, and Jarbou’s attorney, Leon Weiss, declined comment beyond the allegations contained within the lawsuit.
Jarbou said he has “undergone physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, ongoing serious injuries requiring medical treatment” and “embarrassment, humiliation, medical expenses, wage loss and other economic and non-economic” damages. The complaint, assigned to Judge Michael Warren, seeks in excess of $25,000 in damages.
In 2002, a Macomb County man sued Eminem, two years after the Grammy-award winning artist allegedly pistol-whipped him outside a Warren bar. Eminem was reportedly angry at the man for kissing Eminem’s then-wife, Kim Mathers, in public.
Eminem pleaded guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced to two years’ probation.
You can reach Mike Martindale at (248) 647-7226 or mmartindale@detnews.com.