Four Seasons Las Vegas Worker Sues ex-UFC Fighter for Unprovoked Attack

Posted on: February 10, 2023, 06:32h. 

Last updated on: February 10, 2023, 06:41h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

A maintenance worker at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas is suing the company and former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen after being allegedly attacked.

Joshua Olds and four other people claim they were assaulted without provocation one night in 2021, according to documents uncovered by KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.

According to the suit filed in Las Vegas  – which claims assault, battery, and negligence – Olds “was severely beaten about his face and person” on Dec. 18, 2021, causing “serious injuries.”

Olds was apparently coming to the aid of hotel guests Julie and Christopher Stellpflug, who filed their own lawsuit against Sonnen in March. The San Luis Obispo, Calif. couple claim they encountered Sonnen, who appeared intoxicated, while walking to their hotel room.

They claim that without provocation, Sonnen punched Christopher in the head multiple times, then tried to choke him, according to the Stellpflugs’ suit. They also claim that Sonnen threw Julie against a light fixture and punched her in the face. Both plaintiffs claim they were left with concussions.

According to multiple reports, Sonnen, 45, was initially charged with 10 counts of misdemeanor battery and one of felony battery by strangulation on five people. In March 2022, prosecutors dropped the felony charge and filed an amended criminal complaint reducing Sonnen’s charges to six misdemeanors.

In September 2022, Las Vegas Justice Pro Tem Craig Friedberg dismissed the two remaining counts applying to Stellpflugs’ complaint. Sonnen now faces four misdemeanor battery counts relating to Olds’ complaint.

Not Arrested

According to KLAS, Sonnen was only cited at the scene, not arrested, because police claimed the batteries were misdemeanors that were not witnessed by them. KLAS also reported that Sonnen later told police that he was on Ambien and did not remember either incident.

A bench trial in Sonnen’s criminal case is scheduled for April. Both civil cases requested jury trials.

It is not clear whether the fifth person allegedly injured by Sonnen, believed to be a Four Seasons security guard, is taking legal action.

‘A Passionate Guy’

Sonnen, who resides in Portland, is so highly regarded in the MMA universe, UFC president Dana White once named him as a potential successor to his throne.

“Chael is obviously a passionate guy,” White told MMA Junkie in 2014. “I think he loves [the sport], and he’s great.”

It is not known how the charges affected White’s opinion. But even back then, White expressed his doubts.

“The thing with Chael, though, is that he over-exaggerates too much, and you don’t know what’s real and what’s not,” White said.