Chael Sonnen has two fewer misdemeanor battery counts to worry about.
As per The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the former UFC middleweight title challenger now only faces four misdemeanor battery counts after Las Vegas Justice Pro Tem Craig Friedberg dismissed two of them at a Wednesday court hearing.
Sonnen notably didn’t attend the hearing.
It was originally a felony count of battery by strangulation and 10 misdemeanor counts of battery after Sonnen was accused of attacking multiple people at a Four Seasons hotel back in December.
However, it was brought down to six misdemeanor counts of battery while the felony count was dropped following the filing of an amended criminal complaint in late March.
Two of the alleged victims were Dr. Christopher Stellpflug and Julie Stellpflug, who have since filed their own lawsuit against Sonnen as they seek damages in excess of $15,000.
The couple claim Sonnen attacked them without provocation at the hotel along with striking others who tried to intervene.
Defense Attorney Attempted To Get All Charges For Chael Sonnen Dismissed
Defense attorney David Figler tried to have all charges dismissed against Sonnen in a formal motion, citing the prosecution’s inability to obtain statements the Stellpflugs made to the media that Sonnen was “uttering gibberish” on the night of the attack.
Figler saw that fact as beneficial for his client’s case, but it was ultimately to no avail.
“[Christopher Stellpflug] has given some statements which have been broadcast concerning Mr. Sonnen’s mental state … and also claimed injuries and motivations unsupported by other evidence,” Figler wrote in the motion.
“It is clear that if Mr. Sonnen could not form the requisite intent to commit a willful and unlawful battery that he would be exonerated of all charges.”
Julie Stellpflug later revealed that she and her husband were disgusted with the decision to drop two of the misdemeanor battery counts as they seek justice.
They also claim everything they have stated has remained consistent.
“We just want justice,” Stellpflug said. “We did not deserve what happened to us. … Everything has remained consistent. There’s nothing different.”
More updates regarding this case will be provided in the near future.
