TORONTO -- Three NBA players who were cleared in February of assaulting a male exotic dancer and his fiance outside a downtown Toronto strip club are now being sued.
Vida Asante and Adrian Cimpean filed a claim Tuesday for $18 million in damages for themselves and their children in Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
The lawsuit is against Miami's Gary Payton, two of his former teammates on the Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA.
In February, a judge ruled that although Payton likely sparked a dispute with foul language and taunts, he was "not on trial for his vulgar .. and offensive conduct."
The judge said he had reasonable doubt that Payton, 39, Sam Cassell, 37, and Jason Caffey, 33, escalated the dispute by punching and kicking Cimpean, causing him bodily harm.
Asante and Cimpean argue that the Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA are liable because they actively support and encourage their professional basketball players' abusive and violent behavior on the court and ignore it off the court.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league does not comment on potential pending litigation.
