Chael Sonnen is no longer facing a felony charge.
The former UFC title challenger would be hit with 11 charges earlier this month. This would including one felony battery charge and 10 misdemeanor battery charges. However, the list of charges has been reduced following a court hearing on Wednesday.
Judge Joseph M. Bonaventure would allow prosecutors to amend their criminal complaint, regarding Chael Sonnen. Due to said amendment, Sonnen now only faces 6 misdemeanor charges with the felony battery charge being dropped completely.
Of course, this case all stems from Sonnen’s alleged incident in Las Vegas last December. ‘The Bad Guy’ allegedly engaged in a physical encounter with multiple people at a Four Seasons hotel. A Californian couple, Julie and Christopher Stellpflug, would file a lawsuit against Sonnen for attacking them without provocation.
Sonnen’s defense attorney Dayvid Figler would explain that he asked prosecutors to reexamine the case. He said the reduced charges were a result of Sonnen not having the intent to commit them and that the alleged injuries to the Stellpflugs were not severe.
“I believe that’s exactly what happened, and they realized that the more appropriate way to move forward would be with this amended complaint,” Figler said (via Las Vegas Review Journal).
The Stellpflug’s were against Sonnen’s charges being reduced. Their attorney Kory Kaplan would speak on the matter, citing the felony charge would have been ‘appropriate’.
“After the charges were filed, they were contacted by a deputy district attorney who confirmed that felony charges were appropriate.” Kaplan said
Chael Sonnen has still not commented on his legal issues, even during his momentary leave from ESPN.
