 Alex Lifeson Vs. Ritz-Carlton:
Although Alex Lifeson and his son Justin accepted a plea agreement in which
they will serve no jail time on charges related to their scuffle with Collier
County Florida sheriff's deputies at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, on New Year's
Eve 2003, the battle is not over. Less than two weeks following the plea,
Lifeson and son filed a suit against the Ritz-Carlton, its security director
and three sheriff's deputies seeking an unspecified amount of monetary
damages for injuries, pain and suffering, mental anguish and the costs
of their defense to the charges.
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- * Alex's Official Statement: "In like a lion, out
like a lamb. These words appeared in a Naples Daily News editorial on April
27, describing the outcome of the criminal charges against my family and
myself. After fifteen months of living in fear and anxiety, and the enormous
physical and emotional toll that it took from all of us, the prosecution's
case began to crumble as the truth emerged and witnesses came forward to
expose the behavior of these Collier County Sheriff's Deputies and certain
employees of the Ritz Carlton, a resort hotel reputed to be one of the
finest in the world. As that part of this ordeal came to a close, I thought
to myself that more than anything, I wanted to get my life back on track.
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- I thought I could accept the fact that I was punched
in the face so hard it ripped the cartilage from my nose, fracturing the
bone and shattering my septum. I thought I could accept the incredibly
painful nasal surgery and weeks of recovery, and the discomfort I feel
every night when I go to sleep. I thought I could accept the fact that
I was Tasered six times, twice while lying face down in a growing pool
of my own blood, and so severely that it burned bloody holes in my back.
I thought I could accept watching my son get electrocuted numerous times
as well, and erase the memory of his screams of pain and terror. I thought
I could accept being imprisoned for two days without a phone call for over
fourteen hours. I thought I could accept the innuendo of those who don't
know me and believed I was just some spoiled, drunken rock star. I thought
I could accept watching my daughter-in-law, through a crack in the prison
door, as tears streamed down her face because she was unlawfully jailed
and separated from her two months old son. I thought I could accept the
deep depression my wife, the woman I love without measure and who shares
my soul, struggled through for months, fearing for her husband and son
-- what was I thinking? Out like a lamb.
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- All of that for nothing. All because of the bitterness
of a few Ritz Carlton hotel employees on the most festive night of the
year and their incredibly discourteous, arrogant and aggressive behavior
of which I had never experienced in thirty years of travel. All because
of three confrontational, intimidating, enraged deputies who wouldn't even
consider dialogue, who were so quick to reach for their Tasers and handcuffs
when no crime was committed. All because of a prosecutors' office blind
to the reality of instances of excessive force by police and the horrendous
destruction of innocent lives forever changedwhat were they thinking? In
like a lion. The legal action we are embarking on now will hopefully bring
attention to the fact that people cannot and should not be treated this
way. I was fortunate to have the resources and will to fight to the end,
but there are many who don't and they will forever suffer from the forced
compromise of an unfair plea bargain or the threat of sentencing guidelines
that demand imprisonment, that hang over one's head like the sword of Damocles.
If some good is to come of this, then let it be that the actions of a tiny
minority of aggressive, Taser wielding police officers don't tarnish the
reputation of the vast majority of officers who proudly serve their communities
with honor and sacrifice.
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- I sincerely believe they deserve our utmost respect,
but respect is something that must be earned and not demanded with a closed
fist or an electrifying weaponthat's what I'm thinking." - Alex Lifeson,
Rush.com, June 10, 2005
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- For the full history of this case visit
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- http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/NewsAlexAtRitz.htm
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