JOE MIXON: After a lengthy court battle, footage of the OU RB punching a woman in July 2014 has been released
JOE MIXON: After a lengthy court battle, footage of the OU RB punching a woman in July 2014 has been released
The shocking video of University of Oklahoma (OU) star Joe Mixon punching a female student was released by his lawyers on Friday.
In the video, the student Amelia Molitor and Joe Mixon, 20, appear to argue during the 2014 altercation that left her with a broken jaw.
Molitor, now 22, is seen pushing Joe Mixon, who then lunged at her before she slapped him.
Joe Mixon, who is the running back for the Oklahoma Sooners, is then seen punching her in the face at a restaurant near campus, causing her to hit her head against the table and fall to the floor.
“While Mr. Joe Mixon is not a party to the OAB lawsuit and has not been directed by the Court to make any disclosure, he does not see any reason for the release of the recording at issue in that lawsuit to be delayed any longer,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
“Further delay appears only to be generating unfounded speculation about what is shown in that video,” the attorney wrote. “We also see no reason to withhold the second recording we received from Ms. Molitor’s attorneys and so have included it as well.”
One of Molitor’s attorneys, Rusty Smith, criticized the timing of the release. He pointed out Molitor was going through graduation ceremonies at OU on Friday night. He suggested Joe Mixon could have waited.
The Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters had been challenging the city’s decision to not release video that shows the July 2014 incident that led to Joe Mixon’s suspension from the football team for that season, The Oklahoman reported.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in the association’s favor on Tuesday.
Attorneys for Molitor asked a judge Thursday to suppress the release of the surveillance video, arguing that the video alone wouldn’t tell the full story.
Joe Mixon is raising a number of defenses to her remaining claim — intentional infliction of emotional distress. His attorneys assert, for instance, that Molitor “by her conduct contributed in whole or in part to any claimed loss or injuries.”
Molitor “repeatedly instigated hostile conversations” with Joe Mixon and his companions outside the cafe’s front door, his attorneys wrote in an answer to the lawsuit.
Once inside, Molitor motioned to Joe Mixon to approach her at the table where she was standing and she then “initiated further discussion” with him, his attorneys wrote in the answer filed Tuesday. Mixon overheard Molitor saying he and other black men were trying to jump her outside, the attorneys wrote.
Mixon also heard Molitor “and/or” members of her party use racial slurs in referring to him, his attorneys wrote.
Mixon “states he turned and attempted to leave the discussion and restaurant, but … just as he did so, plaintiff lunged toward him and shoved him in the chest,” his attorneys wrote.
Molitor suffered fractured bones in her face. Joe Mixon was suspended from the football team for a season and charged with a misdemeanor — acts resulting in gross injury.
Under a plea deal, he was put on probation for a year. He also was required to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo cognitive behavior counseling.
Joe Mixon turned 18 on July 24, 2014, and was celebrating with teammates. The second surveillance video shows players Michiah Quick, Daniel Brooks and David Smith at the cafe.
Quick and Brooks leave at the same time as Joe Mixon. Smith stays.
Quick, a cornerback, is no longer with the team because of rule violations. Brooks, a tailback, is no longer playing because of concussions. Smith, a tailback, transferred to Jacksonville State in 2015.
