Pauly Shore Sued for Assault

Pauly Shore is being sued by a father-daughter duo who claim security employees of Shore’s The Comedy Store committed assault and battery against them back in November 2022. In the lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, Sean Kehoe and his daughter Kirra Lyn Potts claim a member of the comedy club’s security staff “violently grabbed and attacked” Kehoe on Nov. 20, 2022, in the presence of his daughter.

The lawsuit also alleges Shore was aware that members of the club’s security staff had planned the assault and that he “agreed with and encouraged” his employees. Kehoe claims in the lawsuit that the incident caused him “severe injuries,” and both he and his daughter claim they have suffered “mental and emotional distress” as a result.

The lawsuit also includes allegations that Shore and The Comedy Store are both responsible for the security officials’ behavior as a result of negligence in his “selection of hiring.” Kehoe and Potts are seeking compensation in the form of damages concerning their past and future medical bills, loss of earnings, and physical and mental harm. 

The new lawsuit against Shore was filed in Los Angeles County’s West District on Thursday, about a week after news broke that the actor will play fitness icon Richard Simmons in an upcoming film from Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization. Shore has already played Simmons in a short film, titled The Court Jester, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival last week.

“We all need this biopic now more than ever,” Shore said in a Jan. 17 statement alongside the film’s announcement. “Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self! Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.”

Simmons, meanwhile, shared a rare public update on Facebook in the wake of the announcement, saying that he has “never given” his permission to be depicted in the upcoming film. “Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore,” said the fitness guru, who hasn’t been seen in public in a decade. “I have never given my permission for this movie.So don’t believe everything you read. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”