The Abbey Bar West Hollywood, California is suing a comedy writer and actress, alleging she falsely stated on social media that she was drugged by a bartender at the longtime West Hollywood establishment in July despite video security footage to the contrary.
The Abbey’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Haely White, alleging defamation, trade libel, breach of contract and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. It seeks more than $5 million in damages.
The Abbey has had a substantial business loss due to White’s posting, including cancellations and a drop in customers, the suit alleges.
On Aug. 3, White went on social media and said she was “severely drugged by a bartender” at the Abbey on July 29 and encouraged people to “spread the word” and boycott the bar, the suit states.
White also said she “never let her one drink out of her hands.”
However, Abbey video footage accounts for nearly every moment she was at the bar except for 11 minutes in which she and her female companion were in the restroom together, the suit states.
“The footage shows that during her time at the Abbey, nothing out of the ordinary was put in her drink…” the suit states. “At no time can any Abbey personnel, or any other person for that matter, be seen tampering with her drink.”
After her posting, the Abbey reviewed video footage and notified White that her statements were incorrect and offered to allow her to review the video of the night, which she eventually accepted, the suit states.
“Despite notification from the Abbey of these facts, White defiantly continued to propagate her false claims, resulting in countless republications of her statements,” the suit states.
