NIGHTLIFE
The Abbey Sues for Drugging Claims
Patron accuses bartender of wrongdoing at WeHo bar
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
The Abbey, a popular LGBTQ
bar in West Hollywood,
fi led a lawsuit
in Los Angeles Superior
Court on August 17 alleging that
comedy writer Haely White falsely
accused a bartender of drugging
her at the bar in July.
On August 3, White, who is also
an actress, wrote on social media
that she was “severely drugged by
a bartender” at that bar on July
29 and asked others to “spread
the word” and avoid the establishment,
according to City News Service
and Spectrum News 1, which
obtained the lawsuit. The bar said
they reviewed security footage that
dispelled the entertainer’s claims,
and according to the lawsuit, the
Abbey alerted White about her alleged
false statements and allowed
her to review the video.
A new defamation lawsuit fi led by the Abbey alleges that Haely White falsely accused a bartender of drugging her.
“The footage shows that during
her time at the Abbey, nothing
out of the ordinary was put in her
drink…” the lawsuit states. “At no
time can any Abbey personnel, or
any other person for that matter, be
seen tampering with her drink.”
The bar added, “Despite notifi cation
from the Abbey of these facts,
White defi antly continued to propagate
her false claims, resulting
in countless republications of her
statements.”
The Abbey’s suit further claims
that the negative publicity has
taken an economic toll on the bar
— and now they are seeking more
than $5 million in damages to restore
their reputation and make up
for a slew of missed opportunities.
In a statement on August 15,
White retracted her allegations,
noting that the incident was “not
the fault of Abbey or their staff.”
Hi – after a long week, I’d like to
share an update. Tap and scroll
for the full statement. pic.twitter.
com/2zxKLxUaKN
— Haely White (@HaelysComet)
August 15, 2021
“Obviously, what happened to
me that evening was shocking
and painful … however, based on
my review of video footage, I now
believe that what happened to me
that night was not the fault of The
Abbey or their staff,” White tweeted.
“Having met with The Abbey
staff to review video from the night
I was there, I believe their actions
demonstrate they are truly concerned
about the safety of their patrons,
and take measures to make
their establishment safe.”
REUTERS/STEFANO RELLANDINI/FILE PHOTO
However, White started pushed
back against the Abbey in a series
of Instagram posts — including
in an August 16 post stating that
there was more to the story.
“There is an important additional
detail — the footage also
shows me collapsing off the seat at
a booth not long after having my
drink,” White said. “It shows me
being assisted out of the bar by
a friend and amazing woman I
didn’t know. I am deeply touched
by the women who stepped in to
ensure I was okay.”
By August 20, White ramped
up her criticism of The Abbey even
further for their response to the allegations
and for elevating the issue
to the press. White alleged that
the bar’s actions amounted to “victim
shaming 101.”
“I tried to do what’s right to resolve
the situation, and they’re
being utter and complete bullies,”
wrote White in the Instagram post.
“They are ruthlessly attacking me
for no reason. It’s clear they don’t
want me to say a word and are trying
to limit my free speech. They
even tried to get me to agree to
silence, but I said no. When they
couldn’t get me to agree to what
they wanted, they sued me anyway
even though I did what I agreed to
do. But this is very much in line
with how bullies act, and quite
frankly, they messed with the
wrong woman.”
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AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 8,28 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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