A renowned civil rights attorney swiftly deleted a viral tweet targeting a female New York City hospital worker after his lawyer threatened defamation charges against those who had defamed her during a Fox News segment.
The tweet in question was posted by Ben Crump, a prominent attorney known for his involvement in cases related to police brutality. It featured a video capturing a heated exchange between a pregnant physician assistant from New York City and multiple young Black men. However, Crump decided to remove the tweet just hours after it gained significant attention.
The now-deleted tweet included the video with a headline exclaiming, “This is totally unacceptable!” The footage depicted a white woman attempting to take a Citi Bike from a young Black man, with Crump highlighting her behavior as an attempt to unjustly portray the man in a negative light. Crump expressed concerns about the potential dangers faced by Black individuals due to such incidents, noting that similar behavior has put many Black men in harm’s way.
Despite the tweet’s traction, Crump did not offer any subsequent explanations or apologies for its deletion.
Following the viral spread of the video, the physician assistant in question, Sarah Comrie, who works at Bellevue Hospital, was placed on leave. Her lawyer, Justin Marino, expressed that Comrie, who was six months pregnant at the time, had just completed a grueling 12-hour shift prior to the incident.
Marino appeared on Fox News to defend Comrie, emphasizing that she had been unjustly labeled a racist and accused of theft. He made it clear that they intended to pursue legal action using defamation laws to address the defamatory statements made against her.
Crump’s tweet was deleted shortly after the Fox News segment aired, prompting Comrie to reportedly go into hiding, as mentioned by Marino.
In response to claims by the individuals in the video that they had paid to use the bike, Marino stated that at that time, they were asserting ownership of the bike. Someone allegedly pushed the bike, while Comrie was riding it, back into the docking station, causing it to lock once again.
Marino mentioned that Comrie sought his assistance due to concerns about her job security.
When questioned by Fox News Digital about his intentions to apologize for the tweet, Crump did not immediately provide a response.