A former Taco Bell executive who lost his job after a viral dashcam video showed him violently beating an Uber driver is now suing the driver for $5 million, accusing him of illegally recording the incident.
Benjamin Golden, 32, said the driver, Edward Caban, is to blame for any injuries he suffered during the Oct. 30 incident in Costa, Mesa, California, according to court documents.
Mr. Golden’s lawyer, Courtney Pilchman, told CNBC that she will seek to have the video of the attack barred from evidence in the criminal case against Mr. Golden, alleging that the video was illegally recorded.
She also called Mr. Caban, 23 “quite he opportunist” and said “there’s very little truth to the damages that he claims,” according to CNBC.
Mr. Caban has said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder attack and claims that he lives in fear after the attack.
Mr. Caban’s lawyer, Rivers Morrell III, said Mr. Golden’s claims are “disingenuous” and “totally bogus.”
Mr. Golden also claims that because of the “overwhelming media coverage” of the video, he has “suffered severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, fear, pain and suffering and the loss of his job,” CNBC reported.
The viral video shows Mr. Golden, who appears to be intoxicated, repeatedly slapping Mr. Caban and pulling his hair after the driver told him to get out of the car.
Mr. Golden was arrested after the incident and is charged with multiple misdemeanor charges of assault and battery. Days later, Taco Bell fired Golden, who had led mobile commerce and innovation initiatives for the fast-food chain owned by Yum Brands.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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