Joe Schilling has been cleared of all legal liability related to a violent confrontation in a Florida bar in June 2021.
The incident saw an inebriated man, Justin Balboa, confront Schilling at B Square Burgers in Fort Lauderdale. After a brief back-and-forth, Balboa appeared to fake a punch at the former GLORY kickboxing and Bellator fighter. Schilling immediately let his hands go, knocking out Balboa...
Citing Floridaās āStand Your Groundā laws, circuit court judge, Fabienne E. Fahnestock, wrote a filing that stated Schilling, āreasonably believedā Balboa, āposed a threat of great bodily harm to himself ... Schilling used only such force necessary to neutralize the threat, and is therefore entitled to immunity...ā
While the short video seen by the public seemed to show Schilling taking the opportunity to wreck some random guy, the judge saw security cam footage from the night, which included other interactions between Balboa and the Muay Thai champ. After seeing everything, the court ruled in Schillingās favor.
The legal battle isnāt completely over. Schillingās lawyer, David Katz, says they plan on going after Balboa for lawyerās fees.
āHopefully the Plaintiff was warned of the risks of filing this lawsuit by his attorneys before filing this suit,ā Katz told MMA Fighting. āBalboa now stands liable for all of Schillingās costs and fees for defending this lawsuit, including the trips he had to make from California and the hiring of investigators and experts.ā