News

See the Complete Video of the Fred Davis/Makini Chaka Altercation at Josephine Nightclub

The footage of the incident involving the Redskins tight end and the “celebrity broker.”
Written by | Published on

Last week, the law firm representing
Makini R. Chaka posted security camera footage of her 2011 altercation with former Redskins tight end
Fred Davis.

The law firm did not release the entire video, only the portion of the footage showing
Davis dumping juice on and throwing a bottle at their client.
The Washingtonian has obtained the complete footage, which includes an earlier exchange from
the same evening in which Chaka throws a drink on Davis.

The video is the key evidence in Chaka’s $350,000 civil suit against Davis, who she
claims assaulted her at DC’s Josephine Nightclub and Lounge more than two years ago.

Chaka’s attorney argues that the video proves Davis assaulted Chaka. Davis’s lawyer
calls Chaka’s request for $350,000 tantamount to extortion. “Lawsuits are supposed
to be about making someone whole, not giving someone a windfall,” says
George Wooditch, Davis’s lawyer.

In sworn testimony during the March 11 trial, Davis repeatedly denied throwing the
bottle.

“I didn’t throw the bottle—the bottle came out of my hand,” he testified. 

“I released it, I didn’t throw it.” 

“I didn’t throw it at her. Period.”

Patrice Sulton, Chaka’s lawyer, argued that Davis perjured himself in court.

Davis’s sometimes bodyguard
Stewart Prince has alleged that Chaka is a “madam/pimpette” who procures escorts for celebrities.
Chaka denies this; she describes herself as a “celebrity broker” who organizes parties
for entertainers and athletes.

The judge has not set a date for the verdict.

In the video here, at about 12 seconds, Davis approaches Chaka, who throws a drink in Davis’s face.  

At about 44 seconds, Davis retaliates by tossing a drink on Chaka and throwing the pitcher at her. Roughly five minutes elapsed between the first incident and the second incident.

UPDATE: In an email to Washingtonian this evening, Sulton wrote: “Davis admitted back in February of 2011, that he initially approached and touched Ms. Chaka in a manner that was unwelcome. The court found—correctly, under our law—that the first contact, where he reaches and touches her arm, constitutes an assault. Accordingly, Davis was ordered to stay 75 feet away from my client at all times. Both parties explained they had not been on speaking terms for a full year. Davis was there celebrating his birthday very nearby. Ms. Chaka was there on business with members of another team. Ms. Chaka testified that he approached her aggressively, cursing at her and calling her a ‘bitch’… The earlier episode isn’t legally relevant to the action that is currently before the court. (a) There is no pending cross-claim or counterclaim alleging Ms. Chaka assaulted Davis. (b) There is no claim of self-defense. Under the law, even under Davis’ version of the events, the earlier incident doesn’t legally justify the later assault because Davis had sufficient time to cool off before returning.”

Don’t miss a new restaurant again. Subscribe to our weekly newsletters.

Get Started
More:
Questions or comments? You can reach us on Twitter, via e-mail, or by contacting the author directly:
Senior Writer

Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.