The victim of Mark Sanchez’s alleged battery is suing the former NFL player and his employer, Fox Corporation, according to court documents.
The official complaint alleges assault and battery against Sanchez and negligent hiring, retention and supervision against Fox.
According to the official complaint, Perry Tole, the employee of a company specializing in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, ‘suffered severe permanent disfigurement’ when Sanchez allegedly assaulted him Saturday in Indianapolis.
Sanchez ‘appear[ed] intoxicated’ when he approached Tole, who was performing the duties of his job in the Westin hotel loading dock, and ‘instigated an altercation,’ according to the complaint. The former New York Jets quarterback ‘attempted to enter and later entered … Tole’s work truck without permission and blocked … Tole from accessing his cellphone to contact his manager.’
The ensuing altercation led to Tole using pepper spray in self-defense, but Sanchez continued to approach Tole, according to the complaint. A ‘physical altercation’ followed and Tole ‘suffer[ed] significant injuries to his head, jaw and neck.’
According to an affidavit for probable cause filed Saturday, the incident ended with Tole – identified only as ‘P.T.’ in the document – fearing for his life and striking Sanchez with his knife several times.
An amended probable cause affidavit filed Monday included a paragraph added to the initial document:
‘P. T. (Tole) stated that he suffered a severe laceration to the side of his face, penetrating all the way through his left cheek. When asked to rate his pain on a scale of 10, [Tole] stated it eventually reached a 10.’
Fox is also named as a defendant in the complaint, which alleges the company ‘knew or should have known about … Sanchez’s unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct.’
The media corporation’s hiring, retention and ‘fail[ure] to supervise … Sanchez’ while he was in Indianapolis to cover the Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders game for Fox led to Tole’s ‘severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress, and other damages,’ the complaint alleges.
Tole is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to his official complaint, in addition to payment of ‘reasonable attorney’s fees’ and ‘[a]ny other relief that the Court deems just and proper.’
Sanchez also faces misdemeanor charges of battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication, and a Level 5 felony charge of battery from the State of Indiana. The Fox NFL analyst intends to plead not guilty, according to a motion filed and granted earlier this week to waive his initial hearing.
Sanchez’s first court date is a pretrial conference set for Nov. 5.
The former Jets quarterback’s brother, Nick Sanchez, released a statement Monday via FOX59 anchor Angela Ganote on behalf of the Sanchez family.
‘This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved,’ the statement read. ‘Mark and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and support we’ve received over the past few days. Mark remains under medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on his recovery as the legal process continues. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and medical staff.’
Mark Sanchez was the No. 5 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing his collegiate career at Southern California. He retired in 2019 after stints with five other teams and joined Fox as an NFL analyst in 2021.
