Drunk CNN Reporter Bit EMTs: $2M Lawsuit

Incident took prompted DOJ, State Department inquiry
By Shelley Hazen,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2014 12:00 PM CDT
Drunk CNN Reporter Bit EMTs: $2M Lawsuit
CNN international correspondent Arwa Damon   (IWMF)

CNN reporter Arwa Damon is known for venturing into war zones, but she may now be better known for her sharp teeth. Two EMTs at the US embassy in Baghdad, Tracy Lamar and Charles Simons, say in a $2 million lawsuit filed yesterday that a " seriously intoxicated" Damon bit them while they were treating her July 19, reports the New York Post. Embassy staff called the EMTs to pacify an "out of control" Damon, who had no authority to be on embassy grounds, adds the New York Daily News. Damon reportedly threatened the pair, and named-dropped herself as a "major reporter for CNN."

The suit accuses CNN of continuing to employ Damon even though she’s reportedly abusive—and has a "penchant for violence even when sober," adds the Post. Damon has already apologized to embassy staff via email, which Gawker notes "begins like so many sorry-I-was-drunk-and-don't-remember-anything notes. 'Hey,' she writes. Hey." In it, Damon blames her "disastrous behavior" on a lack of "proper food all day. I clearly miscalculated how my body would handle the alcohol consumed. Needless to say, I am utterly mortified and take full responsibility for my actions, which are inexcusable." The EMTs' lawyer is already calling the email "Exhibit 1" in the suit. (More US embassy in Baghdad stories.)

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