Comedian Katt Williams was ordered by a Hall County judge Wednesday to pay almost $87,000 in damages to a man Williams allegedly assaulted in February 2016.
Williams, who had multiple run-ins with the law last year, was ordered to pay Paul Love $86,715 after the one-day, judge-only trial in state court.
Williams, who has been banned from Hall and Dawson counties in separate legal matters, was not in court for Wednesday’s trial. His attorney could not be reached for comment.
Police say Williams threw goggles at Love, who worked at a pool supply store, and then went behind the counter and punched Love in the face.
Love had recently had brain surgery before the incident, Channel 2 Action News reported.
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Williams showed “willful misconduct, malice ... and an entire want of care,” Judge B.E. Roberts III wrote in awarding the damages.
The order includes $54,000 in punitive damages. That’s about 10 percent of what Williams could make if one of his upcoming shows sells out, according to Antonia Spencer, a spokeswoman for Love’s law firm, Pope McGlamry.
The judge also awarded Love $6,500 in medical expenses, $13,000 for “pain and suffering” and $13,000 for “intentional infliction of emotional distress, fright and anxiety,” according to the order.
Williams also must pay $215 in court costs.
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