A hearing in Ludwig Kaiser’s criminal case that was scheduled to take place on Thursday (August 27) in Orlando, Florida was canceled without a public explanation.
The move was the latest update in the ongoing battery case that has otherwise not received much attention recently. However, a hearing is still scheduled as of press time for October 19.
That hearing will center around Kaiser’s motion to dismiss the case on the argument that the WWE star can’t be prosecuted in Florida under the state’s “Stand
Your Ground” law for acts of self defense.
Kaiser (real name Marcel Barthel) was arrested on May 20 in Orange County, Florida on a battery charge. The German wrestler was later released after making bail. TMZ reported it had obtained a police report on the incident, which occurred on April 23 in the building where Kaiser lives.
According to TMZ, the report said Kaiser was in an elevator with a female companion (later revealed to be his girlfriend, Andrea Bazarte), and the two started kissing and became “uncontrollably intimate.” After the elevator stopped at the 12th floor, everyone exited and one neighbor told the couple to “please have some manners,” which led to Kaiser allegedly punching the man repeatedly, pushing him to the ground, and threatening him.
After Kaiser learned about an arrest warrant while in Mexico on May 19, he flew back to Florida and turned himself in. He was placed in custody and released on $1,000 bond. A “not guilty” plea was entered on behalf of Kaiser by his attorney.
Legal documents later filed by Kaiser’s defense team painted a different picture of what allegedly occurred during the elevator ride.
According to the filing, the neighbor “was offended by Mr. Barthel and his girlfriend hugging while in the elevator,” and the man said to them something along the lines of “have some f***ing respect.” The filing continued by saying Kaiser asked for clarification about the comment, resulting in the neighbor making “a statement to the effect of, ‘Have some respect before I call I.C.E. on that bitch.’” (Bazarte, an announcer/correspondent for AAA, is of Mexican descent.)
In Kaiser’s account, he pushed the neighbor a couple of times in order to protect Bazarte, and the man threw a soft drink bottle at the wrestler. According to the defense, there were no physical blows in the altercation.
Meanwhile, Kaiser has continued to actively compete in AAA as Grande Americano after the court cleared him for international travel.
What do you make of this latest development in Kaiser’s case, Cagesiders? Let us know in the comments.
