A referee in New Jersey who had allegedly forced a Black student to cut his dread locks is filing a lawsuit for character defamation and emotional distress. The ref, Alan Maloney, claims he has suffered financial losses because of the incident.
Maloney has now filed a $100,000 lawsuit for character defamation and emotional distress against 12 defendants. He claims he cannot find work.
Since the December 2018 match, Maloney has been barred from refereeing until the investigations are completely resolved.
Maloney stands by his decision because he believes the Black student, Andrew Johnson, violated the rules set by the Interscholastic Athletic Association of New Jersey State. According to these rules, Andrew Johnson did not have the legally sanctioned hair for the match.
Dominic Speziali, who is representing Andrew Johnson and his family, claims that Maloney was just covering his bases and is going to extent of filing a lawsuit as a victim of the incident.
During the investigation, it was found that the referee had been accused of racism way back in 2016. He had actually made the headlines when he was reported to have used racial slur against an African American referee. At the time Maloney said that he didn’t even remember using the racial slurs and his attorney refused to comment when he was asked about the proceedings.
Well, on the bright side, Andrew Johnson is currently a junior in high school and still competing in wrestling matches. He had also been able to bag 19 wins since January! Even after the incident, Andrew had been praised to let his hair get an impromptu haircut simply to take one for the team!
