LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former personal assistant suing comedian Katt Williams for assault and battery told a judge today that she has lingering physical and emotional damage from his alleged unprovoked attack on her nearly four years ago in Studio City.
Yadira Torres' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which was filed in March 2017, alleges Williams punched her and pushed her against a glass door at the Sportsmen's Lodge in 2016.
“It's not right for somebody like your boss to physically send you toa hospital,'' Torres told Judge Michelle Williams Court. “It sucks, it really does.''
Torres filed court papers collectively seeking a default judgment against Williams and Kattpack Investments Inc., which is identified in her court papers as the defendant's employer. The judge asked Torres to appear today so that she could hear the plaintiff's testimony and assess her damages.
In a sworn declaration submitted in advance of the hearing, Torres says she “sustained severe injuries to my jaw, head and neck region.''
Court did not immediately rule on the request for default judgment, saying she may have a decision later today. The judge told Torres' attorney, Azuka L. Uzoh, that she could not award his client punitive damages without evidence of Williams' financial ability to pay. Uzoh replied that he had no way of getting the records.
Torres, testifying from a front row seat in the courtroom, said Williams hired her in 2012 at a salary of $5,000 a month. According to her suit, the two were at the Sportsmen's Lodge in December 2016 and had a dispute over the transportation of luggage when leaving the hotel.
She alleges Williams became upset and punched her, then pushed her against a glass door.
Torres testified she suffered a concussion, stomach pain and bruises and spent a day recovering at Sherman Oaks Hospital. She said she deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and has gone from being a healthy, capable paralegal who managed 25 people for Kattpack Investments to someone who now does mainly seasonal work while dealing with anxiety and depression.
“I forget a lot of things at work,'' Torres told the judge.
Torres testified she still fears Williams.
“I was very, very scared to come here today,'' she said.
Torres testified she believed she let her “guard down'' around Williams after he gave her a letter recognizing her work.
“I'm lucky I'm still here,'' she said.
Torres at one point pulled down her mask to show Court how her teeth were allegedly damaged in the assault. She said Williams had required her to undergo extensive dental work, including the addition of porcelains and veneers, while working for him to ensure she had an attractive smile.
Torres resigned after the Sportsmen's Lodge incident and is still owed back wages from her ex-boss, according to her lawsuit. From May to July 2016, he paid her only $300 and did not reimburse her for out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the job, the suit alleges.
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