I’d hoped Shia LaBeouf would find his inner zen while locked away by himself in his little Lapland cabin for a month for his art project. He’s going to need it now that his past behavior is coming back to bite him in the @ss. LaBeouf is one troubled little dude. He has a history of violent behavior and spends a lot of his time begging someone to arrest him, even if he is seemingly doing the right thing. Unfortunately, when he drinks too much, which is often, he usually gets in trouble. That’s exactly what happened this past April. LaBeouf and his wife, Mia Goth, were at Jerry’s Famous Deli when LaBeouf demanded another drink. The bartender, manager David Bernstein, refused to serve him because LaBeouf was overly intoxicated. In response LaBeouf invaded his work area and became threatening before accusing Bernstein of being a racist and storming out without poor Mia, whom I assume was left to pay the bill. You can see TMZ’s video of the incident here – watch the volume, LaBeouf is shouting. There’s nothing alleged here, LaBeouf is actually a douche in it. Cut to a month later, Bernstein is suing for pain and suffering and damage to his reputation. LaBeouf latest rant could force him to leave a $5 million tip for Bernstein.

The incident arose when the bartender, David Bernstein of Jerry’s Famous Deli, which is adjacent to the Pinz Bowling Center in Los Angeles, refused to serve LaBeouf a drink, allegedly because the actor was already too intoxicated. LaBeouf was caught on camera screaming at the bowling-alley employee, calling him a “f—ing racist.”

Now, the employee, who believes LaBeouf was on the verge of using physical violence, is suing the star for assault and defamation. “[LaBeouf] yelled at plaintiff and appeared ready to physically confront him after plaintiff refused to serve him a drink because [LaBeouf] appeared to be intoxicated,” Bernstein’s lawyer said in a statement.

The lawsuit states that Bernstein “experienced significant emotional distress, anxiety and fear” after the altercation.

After first slamming his fist on the bar counter, LaBeouf “quickly proceeded around the corner of the bar and entered the bartender well area… while yelling at the top of his lungs and appeared ready to physically confront Mr. Bernstein,” the lawsuit states. Adding that Bernstein was “fearful of an imminent attack” and that he used a Grey Goose vodka bottle to deter the actor.

The actions “reflected an intention to commit imminent physical violence upon Mr. Bernstein,” states the claim. Bernstein experienced “significant emotional distress, anxiety and fear” as a result.

The claim states that LaBeouf yelled that Bernstein was a “f—ing racist bitch” upon exiting the establishment. “Wake up, this mother f—er is a racist,” the lawsuit quotes LaBeouf as saying.

The claim states that LaBeouf’s “racist” claims, made in front of a large crowd, were “recklessly rendered,” as the manager has 32 years of experience at Jerry’s Famous Deli and is “beloved” by customers. 

The claim added that Bernstein has since been exposed to “significant embarrassment and ridicule” since video of the incident has been published and that Bernstein is now alluded to as “the racist bartender” by fans of the actor online.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

I’m not a fan of LaBeouf’s, I’m sure that is clear. However, I do try to come at legal issues as objectively as possible. Bernstein has been managing Jerry’s for over three decades. Having bartended myself for less than a third of that time, I can’t believe this is the first volatile drunk he’s encountered. Granted, it’s a lousy part of the job but it does happen. It probably doubly sucked in this case because the patron was famous, “Oh cool, Indiana Jones’ kid is here! Oh no, Indiana’s kid is a dick.” But I’m assuming the second part of the lawsuit is the heart of the matter. That video of LaBeouf’s rant went viral and with no context given, I’m sure a bunch of people assumed the guy was racist because LaBeouf said so. I have no problem with this. People interfering with your job and disturbing your place of business is unfair and if Bernstein felt he had to grab a bottle to defend himself, LaBeouf was way out of line. Plus, anything that potentially sends a message to LaBeouf to get his act together is welcome.

LaBeouf just finished filming Borg/McEnroe, in which he plays John McEnroe who was famous for his on-court tirades (above and beyond his incredible tennis skill, of course). It’s creepy to watch the trailer with this story in mind. I wonder if LaBeouf will claim method preparation.

And, as I always seem to ask in posts about LaBeouf – where was poor Mia in all of this?

Photo credit: WENN Photos