Billionaire defendant yells witness is a liar in sex case

A Comedy Central star testified Wednesday he'd seen billionaire Alki David tightly and violently wrap his hands around the neck of a woman now suing him for sexual harassment.

Jacob Weisman, a co-star of the office comedy series "Corporate," told a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury Wednesday he was visiting the headquarters of David's Hologram USA Inc. on the invitation of plaintiff Lauren Reeves, a casual acquaintance who was at the time an employee of the company.

Prompted by questioning from Reeves' counsel Nathan Goldberg of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, Weisman recalled that as David tightly squeezed "enough to constrict her throat," David told Reeves, "I want to violently fuck you."

David rose suddenly from his audience seat Wednesday, pointing and screaming at Weisman.

"Fucking liar! You fucking liar! You're a disgusting human being!" " David yelled, as Judge Terry Green quickly motioned for a sheriff's deputy to oust David from the courtroom.

In court to face the second sexual harassment civil case from a former employee to be taken to trial in as many months, David was clearly agitated in the lead-up to the outburst. He regularly guffawed or muttered obscenities from the audience at points where he appeared to dispute testimony from Reeves and Weisman.

In contrast with the previous trial, in which David represented himself against claims from former Hologram USA Inc. Elizabeth Taylor, David has this time hired Venable LLP partner Ellyn Garofalo to handle his defense. But several times over the course of the day, David would shoot out of his audience seat and approach Garofalo while she stood at the lectern, apparently to suggest a new question or subject to push.

Garofalo pressed Reeves, who has worked for several Comedy Central shows as well as Saturday Night Live, about a number of raunchy jokes she made on social media. One joke by Reeves referenced "Holocaust Centers," which Reeves agreed could be misconstrued as anti-Semitic if taken out of context.

"So sometimes, when you make a joke, some people might not find it funny. Is that correct?" Garofalo asked.

Attempting to highlight the blurred lines between an offensive joke and an edgy one, Garofalo compared the out-of-context misrepresentation of Reeves' jokes to the claims at the center of Reeves' complaint. Instances of harassment by David, including sending a video to her with his penis tucked between his legs that he joked was a "Mangina,"were potentially offensive, Garofalo reasoned, but not sexually motivated.

While Reeves agreed comedy can be subjective, she said many of David's actions clearly crossed the line. Particularly when he violated physical boundaries, she said, including an instance in which David allegedly shoved her face into his crotch and another in which he forced her fingers into his mouth.

"I don't think grabbing someone by the throat -- putting hands on them -- that's not a joke," Reeves said. "That's assault."

Reeves' recollection of the alleged incident when David put his hands on her throat differed slightly from Weisman's as she recalled David said, "Look into my eyes" while choking her. Garofalo noted the apparent contradiction during cross-examination of Weisman, explaining it was the reason for David's expletive-laden outburst.

Weisman requested a deputy escort following testimony. David was waiting in the hall after being ousted from court by Green.

Away from the presence of the jury, Goldberg asked whether there were any steps the court could take to prevent further misbehavior from David.

But beyond simply kicking him out of court whenever he acts up, Green said, there's not much he can do.

The plaintiff's case-in-chief continues Thursday.