A Los Angeles man is gearing up to sue former reality TV star Judge Greg Mathis for allegedly threatening to shoot him while the man was working for the city outside Mathis’ home.
An attorney representing Ricardo Acosta has written, but not yet filed, a complaint alleging that Mathis assaulted Acosta and inflicted emotional damage during a heated confrontation on July 25, 2023. According to the complaint, Acosta was working for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power when Mathis berated him for blocking his driveway with a city dump truck and threatened him with a gun.
Mathis’ attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to extort from her client and said it contained an inaccurate representation of what took place.
“That the LAPD did not even investigate Mr. Acosta’s claims speaks to their lack of merit,” she said. “Should Mr. Acosta pursue this lawsuit, we will not only vigorously defend the case, we will file cross claims against Mr. Acosta for his illegal conduct and repeated defamation of my client.”
According to the complaint, Mathis yelled, “Move the f— truck out of the way,” while standing directly behind Acosta’s truck. Acosta then asked Mathis to move out of the way while he backed up the truck, as it was on an incline and he was concerned it could roll when put into drive, the complaint says.
Mathis refused to do so and said that he “did not give a f— and to run him over and see what happens to him,” according to the complaint. The complaint states that Mathis then ran into his home, came out with a gun and said, “I will bust a cap,” which is slang for putting a bullet in someone.
Acosta alleges that this incident caused him emotional and financial damage as he underwent medical treatment and retained an attorney.
He is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages, earnings, commissions, retirement benefits and other employee benefits as well as general damages for mental pain, emotional distress and loss of earning capacity.
Mathis was the star of “Judge Mathis,” an arbitration-based reality court show, which ran for 24 seasons from Sept. 13, 1999, to May 25, 2023.
