Scottie Pippen Files Countersuit Against Man Who Claims Former NBA Star Assaulted Him

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Scottie Pippen has filed a countersuit against a man who alleges in his own complaint that the former Chicago Bulls forward attacked him outside upscale Nobu restaurant last year.

Pippen's countersuit was filed last Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Camran Shafighi. It alleges assault, battery, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil rights violations. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The countersuit alleges that Shafighi called Pippen the "N" word in front of his wife, Larsa, and their children, and that he also spat on the former NBA player and his offspring.

Both sides differ wildly on what actually took place on the night of June 23.

Pippen was dining last June 23 with his family at Nobu.

The former NBA player said Shafighi could take his photograph at his table. When Shafighi returned a second time, Pippen reportedly told the plaintiff that  he wanted to spend the time with his family, the countersuit states.

The countersuit alleges that an "extremely aggressive and intoxicated" Shafighi ignored Pippen, going so far as to push Larsa Pippen out of the way. Shafighi became angry as both sides walked outside of the restaurant, according to the countersuit.

"You stupid ("N" word), you stupid black man," Shafighi yelled, according to Pippen's suit. "You're (expletive) stupid. I used to love you, now I hate you."

When Pippen's brother-in-law tried to intervene and calm Shafighi down, the plaintiff continued uttering the "N" word and said, "I'm going to kill you," according to the countersuit.

Shafighi pushed Pippen's brother-in-law, but the plaintiff's momentum caused him to "stumble, trip and fall," the countersuit states.

Even though Shafighi was on the ground, he kicked Pippen several times, including in the groin area, Pippen's countersuit claims.

"Mr. Pippen was completely caught off guard with Mr. Shafighi's resort to physical violence," the countersuit states. `Mr. Pippen instinctively protected himself by lifting his leg up to block Mr. Shafighi's kicks."

Shafighi's attorney, Kathryn Lee Boyd, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Shafighi started the litigation with his lawsuit filed last July 11. He alleges he was the subject of a "brutal and unjustified physical attack" that included spit in the face, a shove and a punch that sent Shafighi to the ground.

"At no time did or could Mr. Shafighi physically provoke or fight back, as he was knocked unconscious with the first blow," the lawsuit against Pippen states.

The 48-year-old Pippen won six NBA titles with the Bulls. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and now serves as special adviser to the Bulls' president and CEO.

Larsa Pippen appeared on the first season of "The Real Housewives of Miami" in 2011. The couple married in 1997 and has four children.