Bill Simons
New York
The Justin Gimelstob case has taken a stunning turn.
Gimelstob, who was involved in a Halloweeen night fight with his friend turned foe, Randall Kaplan, had said he would vindicate himself, but he pled no contest to a felony battery charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor. At a May hearing, Kaplan read an incredibly graphic victim impact statement which described a brutal, out-of-nowhere attack in which Justin pinned him face down, punched him 50 times for three minutes and induced family trauma and his wife’s miscarriage.
It was powerful. Nonetheless, his friend Novak Djokovic said Justin still had legal options. Critics were skeptical. Djokovic seemed to say he was open to Justin returning to the ATP Council. Many bristled.
The court had ruled that Kaplan was eligible for “restitutions” and on August 26, Gimestob delivered to LA’s Superior Court his own powerful, devastating document which is in contradiction to virtually every aspect of Kaplan’s narrative.
In addition, a whistle-blower, Kaplan’s live-in nanny Celeste Pete, sent Inside Tennis a provocative letter claiming that Kaplan was not injured, there was no blood and he was out to destroy Gimelstob.
Justin’s filing claimed that Kaplan was obsessed with him and has long had a vendetta against Justin. The powerful TV commentator, ATP politician, coach and ex-player painted a picture of a friendship of two wealthy L.A. men that had gone terribly wrong. Kaplan reportedly liked sports celebrities, ladies and parties. Gimelstob felt Kaplan was using him to increase his social status and to gain access to women, and when Justin began to draw back Kaplan was angered. He felt betrayed.
There were a number of incidents. Women reportedly threw drinks in Randall’s face and, Justin’s lawyers noted that when Randall “ran into Mr. Gimelstob in a local restaurant, [he] stuck his finger in Mr. Gimelstob’s face and threatened, ‘I’m going to put you in jail the rest of your life.’” Justin claimed that Kaplan became “increasingly paranoid” and “began ranting” about Justin’s withdrawal from the friendship, especially his not showing up for Randall’s birthday parties due to Justin’s TV work.
Gimelstob’s court document noted that on Halloween, Justin and his girlfriend, Austin Ruth, were out trick-or-treating. They saw Kaplan who delivered a derogatory barb on Justin’s dad, who had died four days earlier.
Kaplan allegedly said, “I heard your dad just dropped dead and he was an even bigger asshole than you.”
Randall then walked away. Justin followed and confronted him about his harsh comment at which point, according to Ruth, “[Kaplan] turned and said ‘Fu** you’ before pushing Mr. Gimelstob’s chest with both hands. Mr. Gimelstob then tackled Mr. Kaplan, and they proceeded to wrestle in the grass for approximately twenty to thirty seconds,” – not the three minutes which Kaplan stated. The filing continues, “A four-second cell phone video taken by Mrs. Kaplan depicts the two men wrestling on the ground, while Mr. Gimelstob swings at Mr. Kaplan, who was lying face-up on the ground, on his side/back.” This contradicts Kaplan’s claim in his brutal victim impact statement, that he “went flying to the ground face-first…had no clue who it was [that was attacking]…my attacker continued punching and beating the back of my head…when I turned my head to scream, it exposed my face…my attacker’s devastating and brutal punches went from the top and back of my skull to the sides of my face.”
The two officers who responded to the scene, noted “no serious injury to the victim,” and classified the crime as a simple battery.
What elevated the case in part was Kaplan’s claim that the fight caused his pregnant wife to miscarriage. But the report reveals that, “Mrs. Kaplan admitted, under penalty of perjury, that no health care provider stated that they ‘know’ that Mr. Gimelstob’s actions caused the miscarriage.”
A key witness in the report is Kaplan’s former housekeeper Celeste Pete, who claims she heard Kaplan make a Thanksgiving toast, “I finally was able to stick my hand all the way up Justin’s asshole and twist.”
According to Ms. Pete, for the next several months, “Mr. Kaplan spoke incessantly about Mr. Girnelstob. He repeatedly discussed the topic with his children at the dinner table, who listened for the first two nights and ‘eventually . . . started going, Dad, we don’t care,’ [Pete] formed the opinion that Mr. Kaplan was lying…[and] in the months following the attack, Mr. Kaplan exhibited no physical injuries and maintained his normal workout routine.”
In a scathing whistleblower letter to Inside Tennis, Celeste Pete wrote, “I finally am able to speak openly and honestly about the events that I witnessed with my own eyes and ears … I am the former LIVE-IN nanny and housekeeper. I was unexpectedly privy to all the events that ensued…I was stunned when I read words like ‘brutally’ attacked…But I understand why…[people] would believe a man like Randy Kaplan. He is very persuasive. He’s smooth. He bamboozled me…I informally overheard a lot of the conversations with various newspaper writers….I could overhear Randy gloating to his associates/kids/wife/ex-wife Lara…how he contacted the New York Times, London Times and Australian news organizations. His intentions were to manipulate the narrative in order to destroy Mr. Gimelstob professionally and personally…His story changed a lot…
“His description of the pain and suffering he experienced were all lies. I do his laundry. Don’t you think I would have noticed a ‘little’ blood on a towel, or wash cloth? Maybe a little blood on a pillow case? I am the housekeeper, it’s my job to notice things out of place. I never saw a single medical supply out, not a single Band-Aid, Neosporin, bandage, nothing…When I took pictures of Randy…he looked handsome and flawless. I’ll be happy to send you a photograph…You can zoom in on it and there’s not one mark on Randy’s…face. He’s even holding his 30-40 pound baby with his right arm. Wasn’t that the arm Randy claimed he couldn’t move because his shoulder was impacted….” [Editor’s note: yes it was.]
Pete continued, saying Kaplan’s “actions were so manic that everyone in the house became concerned… his children became very agitated.”
Gimelstob’s filing cited various incidents including one in which Kaplan struck a man in the face. The man was later granted a Temporary Restraining Order against Randall. Gimelstob’s filing claims, “Mr. Kaplan has a proven track record of inciting violence.”
Kaplan’s former employee Pete wrote, “I remember very vividly him demonstrating…on the couch how he was hit 100 times…It all seemed very clandestine…Kaplan told me to take a break…which he never does…He tried to silence me as soon as he suspected I had overheard conversations with…various mutual friends, lawyers, and even a retired judge. It was not uncommon for me to hear Randy say things…like, ‘okay this conversation never happened. Or, can I count on you to back me up on this story?’ He was constantly on the phone contacting people who could give him dirt on Justin.”
Pete claimed that Kaplan forced her to sign a 14-page Non-Disclosure Agreement which she said Randall himself wrote.
Kaplan’s public relations spokesman strongly dismissed the veracity of Pete’s comments. And many wondered why, long ago, we didn’t see Gimelstob’s side of this complex, important story and why Justin, when he finally had his day in court, he chose not to defend himself.
BTW: Kaplan’s lawyers just released a statement saying Justin’s filing was a “’Twilight Zone’ alternative reality nonsense. One’s initial reaction to his statement is why, if true, did Mr. Gimelstob not contest the felony assault charges…[And] the Kaplans strongly favored a trial…[The Judge] inquired of Mr. Gimelstob as follows: ‘Do you understand that I will treat a no contest plea the same as guilty…While you may plead no contest, I will find you guilty based upon that plea. Do you understand that?” Mr. Gimelstob responded, ‘Yes, Sir – your Honor.’ The judge added, “you’ll be pleading guilty to a felony. I have indicated that I’ve been using my discretion to reduce it as a misdemeanor. But even as a misdemeanor, this charge has consequences.’
“Mr. Gimelstob has a documented history of violence, vulgarity and anger management issues – of which a judge has required him to address in a year-long anger management program…Perhaps the constant repeating of Mr. Gimelstob’s narrative by Mr. Gimelstob to Mr. Gimelstob is making Mr. Gimelstob believe his own narrative, but fortunately we have courts…As to the Restitution Hearing on September 16th, see you in court.”
Inside Tennis reached out to Gimelstob, but we have not heard from him.
[Also Reporting: Douglas Hochmuth]
