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T.J. Miller Facing Lawsuit By Driver He Allegedly Assaulted, Miller Calls The Lawsuit ‘Extortion’

By Inquisitr Staff
Published on: 04:26 PST, Jan 1, 2017

T.J. Miller is facing a lawsuit by the driver he allegedly assaulted early in December. The lawsuit stems from an incident on the morning of December 9 when Miller allegedly slapped the Uber driver on the head and shoulder. At the time of the alleged assault, the driver, Wilson Deon Thomas III, made a citizen’s arrest of T.J. Miller and is now slapping the Deadpool actor with a “pure money grab” lawsuit, according to Miller’s attorney.

Miller himself is calling the lawsuit a “brazen extortion attempt,” as reported by TMZ on Saturday. Even though Miller did receive a ticket for misdemeanor battery after allegedly slapping the Uber driver in the face, the 35-year-old actor and comedian was released from jail without posting bail, which was originally set at $20,000. Yahoo! reported the day of December 9 that T.J. Miller was arrested for allegedly attacking his Uber driver, was released on his own recognizance, and will have to appear in court to face battery charges.

A previous report by the Inquisitr states that the Uber driver did not appear to have any injuries when police showed up at T.J. Miller’s home in Los Angeles on the morning of December 9 to make an arrest. At around 1 a.m., police arrested Miller on suspicion of battery after the Uber driver took him home. According to TMZ, Miller allegedly hired Wilson Deon Thomas III to drive him around for the entire day of Thursday, December 8, and the assault didn’t actually occur until after Miller left the 2016 GQ Men of the Year party, an annual event held last year on December 8 at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles.

GQ — a monthly men’s magazine, formerly called Gentlemen’s Quarterly — calls the Men of the Year bash a celebration of the men and women who’ve had an extremely good and impressive year. Last year, GQ honored actors Ryan Reynolds and Warren Beatty, as well as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, and, of course, T.J. Miller showed up as a guest, allegedly leaving a bit “inebriated,” according to a report on Heartii. After Miller called his private Uber driver early Friday morning for a ride home, the two allegedly got into a fight over the 2016 presidential election.

Wilson told police that Miller became “violent and belligerent” after the two got into an argument over the 2016 president-elect. Wilson is reportedly a Trump supporter, while Miller stated he spent “big money” to support the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. T.J. Miller allegedly became angry with the Uber driver for openly showing support for president-elect, Donald Trump, allegedly verbally abusing him, slapping him in the face, and striking him on the “right side of his head and shoulder,” causing Wilson to slam on the brakes hard enough to suffer whiplash.

TMZ says the incident continues to be a “he said/he said,” but now Wilson is suing Miller for the cost of medical expenses and other unspecified damages. According to the Uber driver, T.J. Miller didn’t show erratic behavior until he allegedly began inhaling laughing gas, a type of drug abuse that’s gaining “new momentum,” as reported by the Daily Beast. Inhaling laughing gas from Whip-Its, cans powered by nitrous oxide, such as whipped cream cans, can cause a high that’s been blamed for car accidents, rapes, and even death. According to the report, Whip-Its are legal to purchase but illegal to use as an illicit drug in many states, including California.

California law states that using nitrous oxide as a recreational drug is a misdemeanor in itself and potentially punishable by up to six months in jail. However, what’s unknown is whether or not T.J. Miller was actually charged with possessing nitrous oxide to get high. What is known is that Miller is facing both a battery charge and an assault lawsuit that his attorney is calling a “pure money grab” and attempted extortion. Miller’s attorney goes on to say that Wilson’s account of the events that took place on December 9 is “fictitious” and that Wilson is known for “filing bogus lawsuits.”

Miller himself calls the lawsuit a “brazen extortion attempt.”

In other news, Comic Book reports that Deadpool 2 is set to begin filming this year, with T.J. Miller reprising his role as Weasel, best friend to main character Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool 2 has an expected release date of January 12, 2018.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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