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WWE star Montez Ford is being sued by a security guard who alleged that he performed a “sexu@lized lap dance” on him during a live Netflix broadcast of “Monday Night Raw.”
The security guard, Noel Lucas, accused Ford, whose real name is Kenneth Crawford, and the WWE of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and other claims, according to the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, which was obtained by Post Wrestling and confirmed by The Post.
Lucas alleged the incident unfolded as Ford and his Street Profits tag team partner, Angelo Dawkins, made their entrance before their televised match at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on July 6.
Lucas, an officer with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department who was working off-duty security at the event, claimed Ford approached him without warning or consent and began dancing in a “sexually provocative” manner.
“Defendant Crawford then began performing a sexually provocative dance immediately in front of and over Plaintiff [Lucas], repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized ‘lap dance,’” the lawsuit, filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, stated.
Lucas alleges Ford moved increasingly closer to Lucas as the dance continued and that his “left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Plaintiff’s leg.”
The lawsuit alleges 14 counts, including violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act.
Lucas claimed footage of the encounter spread across social media, drawing hundreds of thousands of views, including on WWE’s and Ford’s own accounts.
The alleged fallout continued the following day when Lucas returned to his full-time job at a courthouse.
“Members of the public recognized him from the videos of the encounter that had circulated on social media and mocked him, thrusting their hips in his direction, imitating the sexual movements” allegedly performed during the broadcast, the lawsuit stated.
Lucas also claimed his children were “mocked and ridiculed” at school over the footage.
The lawsuit alleges Lucas has suffered “humiliation, embarrassment and emotional distress” and continues to be affected because the video remains available online.
He also accuses WWE and Ford of using his image for commercial purposes without authorization, citing the Illinois Right of Publicity Act.
Lucas is seeking unspecified monetary damages, punitive damages, legal fees, and a court order barring the defendants from using his identity.
Ford signed with WWE in 2015 and teamed up with Angelo Dawkins as the Street Profits in 2017, going on to win tag team titles across NXT, Raw, and SmackDown and become WWE Tag Team Triple Crown champions in 2020.
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