“Pulp Fiction” Actor And Director Pleads Innocent To Misdemeanor Assault

July 14, 1998
“Pulp Fiction” actor and director pleads innocent to misdemeanor assault
NewStandard

A charge that Quentin Tarantino slugged a woman in a restaurant is “pulp fiction,” his lawyer said yesterday in court.

The “Pulp Fiction” actor and director pleaded innocent to misdemeanor assault, punishable by up to a year in jail. Judge Neil Ross rejected a request by Tarantino’s lawyer, Paul Callan, to drop the charge.

“These allegations are nothing more than, if you pardon the expression, pulp fiction,” Callan said.

Fashion stylist Leila Mwangi claims Tarantino tried to punch her boyfriend May 1 at a restaurant and hit her instead, cutting her forehead.

Callan said a $15 million lawsuit filed by Ms. Mwangi against Tarantino is at the root of the criminal case. Outside court, Tarantino said: “This is the first time I have ever been blackmailed.”

Ms. Mwangi’s lawyer, Robert Godosky, countered: “My client has a 2-inch scar through her eyebrow. That scar didn’t miraculously appear.”

Tarantino was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Sept. 9