IT’S WAR! Joe Francis Calls Attack On Jayde Nicole Self-Defense, Her Lawyer Fires Back
Oct. 10 2009, Published 9:42 a.m. ET
Joe Francis acted in self-defense when he grabbed Jayde Nicole’s hair from behind and dragged her along the floor, his lawyer says.
The footage of the vicious incident appears exclusively on RadarOnline.com and has prompted Francis to release an eyebrow-raising statement through his reps. And his comments have sparked all-out war, prompting Jayde’s lawyer to compare the Girls Gone Wild founder to John Gotti Jr!
Watch The Exclusive Security Footage Here.
“The footage clearly shows Nicole instigating the incident, waiting to hit Francis in the back of the head and then pour her drink down his back, thereby committing two counts of battery on Francis,” says a press release quoting Francis lawyer Cyrus Nownejad. He also points out that because the tape has no audio you can’t hear Jayde screaming “I’m going to kill you” at Francis.
Jayde can be clearly seen – and admits to – dumping a drink on Francis from behind.
See The Exclusive Interview With Jayde Nicole Watching The Security Video
Apparently Joe was terrified because his lawyer now says: “My client grabbed Nicole’s hair in self-defense to restrain her from further assaults against him and to protect himself against her horrendous threat.”
By the way: Joe Francis is 6-foot-2, and weighs more than 200 pounds. Jayde Nicole is 5-foot-9 and 117 pounds.
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The comments from Francis’ lawyer caused Jayde’s attorney Ronald Richards to fire back, telling RadarOnline.com: "If we were on another planet, where people have eyes on the back of their heads, Francis' version of events may be believable. However, since we are on planet Earth, the tape clearly shows a defenseless woman being savagely attacked by a three-time convicted felon who is on probation in more jurisdictions than John Gotti Jr.
It's also noteworthy that Francis never filed a police report claiming he was a victim of any threat. The self serving press release is nothing more than a desperate man and his attorney trying to mitigate what is obviously a horrific image of his client of beating Ms. Nicole."
And yet, Joe’s actions, the hair pulling and dragging, were a reasonable attempt to restrain the former Playmate, his lawyer contends!