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Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Fri, Nov 22, 2024

The latest Alex versus the Ritz-Carlton news: case dismissed

Thu, Apr 12, 2007@12:24PM | comments removed/disabled

[Judge Clears Deputies In Arrest Of Rush Guitarist]

I reported this a couple days ago and now it's showing up in the mainstream press. For those of you who don't know, Alex Lifeson and his son were arrested in Naples, FL on New Year's eve 2004 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, Florida. There is a great running history of the case over at the Power Windows site if you're unfamiliar with the incident. The latest development had been that Alex was filing a countersuit against the Ritz-Carlton and the officers involved in the incident. The suit was to go to trial later this month and Alex actually discussed the case at length in his recent radio interviews. Unfortunately for Alex the case has been dismissed. From the WFTV.com article:

Collier County deputies didn't use excessive force in an altercation with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson at a hotel on New Year's Eve 2003, a federal judge ruled.

Lifeson, whose real name is Alex Zivojinovich, had sued in federal court claiming that deputies violated his civil rights by using excessive force to subdue him and his son during a skirmish at a party at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. Tasers were used on the pair, and Lifeson's nose was broken.

But U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson wrote in a ruling last week that deputies' actions "were objectively reasonable." The judge also ruled that the Ritz hotel and a security employee weren't negligent in the case.

Lifeson's Naples lawyer, Michael McDonnell, said he plans to appeal. ...

For all you lawyerly types, here's a link to the official court documents (thanks to ouchie at Counterparts). Too bad for Alex, he sounded like he was really looking forward to his day in court. Thanks to reader Eric W for the heads up.