A pregnant nurse in New York was accused of being a White Supremacist after a video surfaced of her allegedly attempting to steal a Citi-bike from a group of young black men. The video went viral, leading to her being placed on leave from her job. Fortunately, Twitter’s “Community Notes” allowed social media users to question the credibility of the situation.
In a twist, the nurse accused of bike theft has been proven innocent after presenting evidence proving that the bike actually belonged to her. On Friday, the lawyer representing the healthcare worker revealed that they intend to file a lawsuit against the media. “She’s been called a racist. She’s been called a thief. There are reasons defamation laws exist, and we plan to pursue that,” he explained.
WATCH:
"She's been called a racist. She's been called a thief. There are reasons defamation laws exist, and we plan to pursue that."
Lawyer for woman at the center of viral Citi Bike video is planning to sue the media. pic.twitter.com/ZLUB8ehKwx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 19, 2023
“We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off duty and away from the hospital campus,” the woman’s employer tweeted on Tuesday. “The incident in the video is disturbing. The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review. As a health system we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”
— NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue (@BellevueHosp) May 16, 2023
Twitter’s community notes made sure to correct those accusing the woman, flagging the video:
The woman has provided receipts to her lawyer showing she had paid for the bike. Insider obtained a receipt revealing payment made for a Citi Bike on the evening of May 12 in Manhattan. The receipt shows that the bicycle was relocked to its dock just a minute later, with no additional charges recorded.
According to Insider:
“It was her bike,” the woman’s lawyer, Justin Marino, said in an interview with Insider on Thursday.
Marino said that bike was pushed back into its docking station after the young Black man and his friends told the woman — a pregnant NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue staffer — that the man had already paid for the same bike.
“She had reserved it, and then they pushed the bike back into the docking station, preventing her from taking it out again,” Marino told Insider.
Another receipt provided to Insider showed payment for a second Citi Bike taken from the same docking station one minute after the first bike was relocked. That receipt also showed a 25-minute trip that Marino said was his client’s ride home after the incident…
“I’m hoping the employer will not violate her rights and will do what’s right and bring her back at some point,” Marino said, adding that his client was planning to sue “against individuals and media organizations who defamed her.”
The fact that she started fake crying for help as if she was in physical danger and she started fake crying, this gives the basis to suspect her of being a white supremacist. And I still stand by that suspicion https://t.co/5opTCdOxai
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) May 18, 2023