NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A disc jockey has sued Kid Rock (search) for $575,000, claiming the entertainer punched him at an adult entertainment club in February.
Jerry Campos (search) of Cedar Hill, Tenn., seeks $500,000 in punitive damages and $75,000 in compensatory damages in the lawsuit filed Monday in Circuit Court.
Nick Stern, a spokesman for the singer, did not return a phone call Wednesday night seeking comment on the suit.
On Monday, the performer pleaded no contest to criminal assault and was given a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days in jail. He also was ordered to complete eight hours of anger management class and pay $180 to replace Campos' eyeglasses.
The suit claims Kid Rock, 34, struck Campos, 30, on the left side of his face on Feb. 16, "thereby causing severe, disabling and permanent injuries" during a 3 a.m. altercation at Christie's Cabaret (search) downtown.
At the time, police said Campos was in the DJ booth when he exchanged words with someone in the audience. Believing his friend had been disrespected by Campos, Kid Rock demanded that Campos apologize.
Campos refused, and Kid Rock struck him in the face twice, police said.
At the time of the arrest, police said the performer left through a back door of another strip club when authorities showed up to arrest him. Police finally caught up with him at about 7 a.m. at an apartment near Vanderbilt University where the singer had been staying.
He was in town to perform the song "I Saw the Light" during a memorial service for songwriter Merle Kilgore.
Born Bob Ritchie, Kid Rock was a Detroit-area hip-hop DJ when he broke through with 1998's "Devil Without a Cause," which successfully married hard rock beats with rap lyrics.
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