Alleged beating at Cy-Fair AMC theater provokes lawsuit

A mother is suing after, she says, her minor son was accosted and beaten by racist security personnel at AMC Willowbrook in Cy-Fair.

Yolanda Levert, on behalf of her minor son, filed a lawsuit on April 21 in the Harris County District Court against ERMC, Allied Barton Security Services, Willlowbrook Plaza and AMC Willowbrook in Cy-Fair, citing, among other things, aggravated assault on a minor child, kidnapping of a minor child, filing of false criminal charges and gross negligence.

Levert says that on Aug. 29, 2009, the defendants' security team accosted, assaulted and falsely arrested her minor son after he screened a movie at AMC Willowbrook, located at Tomball Parkway in Cy-Fair. According to the brief, Levert’s son was outside the movie theater, waiting for his mother to pick him up, when security manhandled and beat him before sending him to jail, even though he had a receipt showing he had paid for the movie.

Levert alleges the defendants failed to provide a safe place for its customers by hiring security officers who they knew, or had reason to know, were racist and discriminatory.

Levert is seeking actual, compensatory and exemplary damages, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs. She is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Andrew Payne.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-24475.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.