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John Gotti Junior’s wife and daughter are facing a $50 million lawsuit from a family they reportedly assaulted in New York last year. The lawyer representing the Gotti family has dismissed the lawsuit as ‘absolute hogwash’.
The lawsuit filed by Jean and Crystal Etienne accuses Kimberly and Gianna Gotti of verbally attacking their son with a racial slur and using expletives during an altercation on February 8 of the previous year.
The showdown took place during a basketball game at Locust Valley High School on Long Island and eventually escalated into a physical fight.
The pair’s misdemeanor third-degree assault charges were dismissed in October on a technicality.
Sons of both parties had been playing for opposing sides in the Oyster Bay vs Locust Valley game.
The Gottis have denied using racial slurs and insisted that Crystal had been the one who hurled insults at her son, Joe Gotti.
According to the Etienne family, Kimberly and Gianna were already causing a disturbance by shouting and confronting other children in the area before the alleged assault took place.
‘This aggressive behavior had gone on for the whole entire game without any intervention by, direction from, or warnings from officials,’ the suit claimed.
In the suit, the Etienne family claimed that Kimberly and Gianna (pictured) were yelling ‘shut up’ and allegedly getting in the faces of other children in the stands before the incident occurred
Kimberly Gotti (pictured) and daughter Gianna Gotti pleaded not guilty to starting a brawl at a youth basketball game in Long Island
Jean and Crystal Etienne (pictured) allege Kimberly and Gianna Gotti called their son a racial slur amid an expletive-ridden outburst during the February 8 incident last year
It furthers that the children that were ‘assaulted verbally’ by the Gottis had been removed by administrators, but they ‘allowed the Gottis to remain and harass those left in the gymnasium.’
When Etienne’s son was placed into the basketball game, the Gottis allegedly began yelling out derogatory names, the suit claimed.
‘F***ing monkey,’ was allegedly the first slur Kimberly yelled out as Etienne’s son went onto the court.
Crystal addressed the incident and said: ‘Please do not call my son. Please do not. They’re just kids.’
It was at this point, Kimberly allegedly ‘in a fit of race fueled rage’ physically assaulted both Etienne’s and their child, according to the suit.
‘Defendants Gotti hit, punched, scratched and ripped out Ms Etienne’s hair in front of students, faculty, school supervisors, school security guards… officials and agents,’ court documents stated.
A nearly one-minute video of the attack showed the alleged assault, according to the suit, where Gianna is said to have encouraged the ‘rip[pping of] her hair off.’
Jean Etienne and their son then tried to help Crystal, at which point they too were physically assaulted, the suit claimed.
Kimberly allegedly ‘in a fit of race fueled rage’ physically assaulted both Etienne’s and their child, according to the suit
Gianna is the granddaughter of reputed mob boss John Gotti, who was head of the Gambino crime family in New York
The Gottis have repeatedly rejected plea deals that would have placed them in anger management programs, however, and insisted it was their family’s mobster fame that led the allegations
The suit claims that the incident is the result of years of ‘racist and degrading’ behavior at Locust Valley High School.
‘[T]he Etiennes have been victims of the District ignoring, tolerating and perpetuating racist behavior and ideology in the past.’
‘Students and instructors have repeatedly voiced, and utilized electronic devices to utter racial words, including but not limited to, the ‘n’ word being played in classes,’ the suit claimed.
The Etiennes’ son was also falsely accused of marijuana use by school officials and assaulting a girl, according to the family.
The suit claimed that the family suffered ‘mental anguish, mental pain, psychological trauma, physical pain, and loss of self-worth’ due to the school district’s failed response.
The Gottis have repeatedly rejected plea deals that would have placed them in anger management programs, however, and insisted it was their family’s mobster fame that led the allegations.
Their lawyer called the new lawsuit, ‘absolute hog wash, totally frivolous and a waste of time,’ according to the New York Post.
‘They should leave the Gotti family alone. The case was dismissed because it had no merit,’ said attorney Gerard Marrone. ‘Crystal started the entire fight.’
Appearing at a Long Island courthouse after passing up on plea deals in March, the mother-daughter due were joined by Gotti Jr, who replaced his father as Gambino crime boss after he was sent to prison in 1992
Pictured: Mob Boss John Gotti was head of the Gambino Crime family in New York
Gotti Jr, 60, replaced his infamous father as Gambino crime boss after he was sent to prison in 1991.
He served as acting boss until 1999, when he was arrested on racketeering charges.
In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty and served just under seven years in prison. His dad died in prison in 2002.
