Bengals RB Cedric Benson Charged With Assault
Perhaps Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson was playing a little too rough as he arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault.
According to police arrest affidavit Cedric Benson got into an altercation and then spit blood from his lip onto an employee after being asked to leave a bar, ESPN reports.
He is charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a bar employee. Witnesses told authorities that Benson was verbally abusive and shoved the employee.
In general, assault is an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.
An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in either criminal or civil liability.
A criminal assault conviction may result in a fine, imprisonment, or both.
In a civil assault case, the victim may be entitled to monetary damages from the assailant. After a determination by a judge or jury that an assault was committed, the next step is to determine what compensation is appropriate.
Three types of damages may be awarded. Compensatory damages, such as medical expenses, are meant to compensate for the injury sustained. Nominal damages are a small sum. Lastly, punitive damages may be awarded in particularly egregious circumstances, as a way to further punish the wrongdoer.
As for Benson, he was booked into jail after the May 30 incident but later posted $5,000 bail and was released.
Benson had another run-in with the law in 2008, when he was arrested twice in a month on alcohol charges.
Related Resources:
- Cincinnati Bengals RB Cedric Benson arrested for alleged assault (USA Today)
- Assault Basics (FindLaw)
- Assault (FindLaw's LawBrain)