The caller hospitalization of Scott Thompson, the comedian amended known arsenic Carrot Top, followed a flurry of filings successful a Florida lawsuit, including claims that helium sexually exploited different antheral and was being extorted by a singer.
A declaration successful the Broward County case, purportedly from Zachary Defazio, 25, alleged connected Sept. 14 that Thompson, 61, engaged successful intersexual behaviour with him connected Oct. 8, 2021, aft Thompson got Defazio excessively drunk to consent. Defazio was 19 astatine the time, the tribunal filing claims, and Thompson was 56.
A spokesperson for constabulary successful Winter Park, Florida — wherever the declaration alleged Defazio and Thompson met — said they did not instantly find immoderate grounds of constabulary reports pertaining to Thompson oregon the allegations against him.
Thompson’s lawyer Ronnie Bitman did not straight respond to requests for comment. Bitman said successful a caller tribunal filing that his lawsuit is the unfortunate of extortion by vocalist Brian Evans, a erstwhile opening act for Thompson who was precocious described by a justice arsenic a serial filer of seemingly frivolous lawsuits.
The Defazio declaration was filed successful an ongoing suit Evans is litigating against Thompson. Evans does not person a lawyer successful the lawsuit and is representing himself.
Thompson was hospitalized Friday aft a reported termination effort astatine his Las Vegas home, and his instrumentality to the signifier remains uncertain. Jami Schlicher, his spokesperson, said successful a statement Sunday that Thompson “is present awake, breathing connected his ain and continuing to improve.”
Claims against Carrot Top
The declaration alleged that Thompson contacted Defazio done the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr successful March 2021. The 2 met astatine a barroom successful Winter Park, northbound of Orlando, wherever Defazio claimed Thompson utilized his personage presumption to physique trust, according to the declaration.
Thompson gave Defazio intoxicant connected his boats, successful bars and astatine his Winter Park residence, the filing claimed. Then, successful October 2021, the declaration alleged that Thompson “engaged successful intersexual conduct” with Defazio.
“I was 19. I could not consent successful that condition,” the filing alleged. “I americium a unfortunate of Scott Thompson. That is not a theory. That is what helium did.”
In a telephone interrogation Monday, Evans said helium filed Defazio’s declaration but that Defazio wrote the declaration.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal does not typically sanction alleged victims of intersexual misconduct but is doing truthful successful this lawsuit due to the fact that the allegations were made successful nationalist civilian tribunal filings and person not been verified by instrumentality enforcement. The quality enactment was incapable to scope Defazio for comment.
Mark NeJame, an lawyer whose steadfast is listed connected a missive attached to the Defazio declaration, did not respond to requests for comment.
In 2022 oregon 2023, Evans said successful the complaint, Thompson texted him a video showing Thompson engaging successful a enactment enactment with a antheral who appeared to beryllium overmuch younger. Evans had not requested the video and deleted it immediately, but helium aboriginal discovered it was saved successful his iCloud relationship and notified representatives for Thompson, his ailment said.
Evans said Defazio told him that Defazio was not the young antheral seen successful the video.
According to the suit Evans filed Aug. 6, Evans and Thompson antecedently executed a colony agreement.
Evans present seeks to void the statement and asserts that helium lacked the intelligence capableness to marque it.
He claims the video caused him affectional distress and lasting intelligence harm. He cites Defazio successful the ailment arsenic an illustration of what helium characterizes arsenic a signifier of behaviour for Thompson.
Attorney for comedian alleges extortion
Bitman, the comedian’s attorney, filed emails from Evans successful enactment of his extortion claims.
According to Bitman’s filing, Evans warned successful a Sept. 3 email: “As the lawsuit present stands, I request to spot the video already described successful the operative ailment earlier the Court successful bid to conscionable and decision pending motions and oppositions. The procedural conveyance for that is simply a question asking the Court for permission to lodge a USB exhibit. I would similar not to adhd that filing if the claims against Mr. Thompson tin beryllium resolved.”
Evans denied that helium was making a menace oregon offering to commercialized soundlessness for money, but helium noted the anticipation of property sum and suggested that the lawsuit could beryllium resolved for a $500,000 payment, the filing showed.
“This is not colony communication,” Bitman wrote successful his Sept. 3 filing. “On its look it is simply a malicious menace to exposure Thompson to disgrace and to exposure a concealed affecting him, with intent thereby to extort wealth nether the guise of litigation — behaviour prohibited by Florida and national law.”
Evans said Monday the extortion assertion was “completely ridiculous” and “totally not true.”
Florida U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz successful August dismissed a abstracted suit filed by Evans, declared him a vexatious litigant and forbade him from filing documents successful the national Southern District of Florida without tribunal permission.
A vexatious litigant is typically 1 who harasses radical with meritless ineligible disputes.
“His serial, spurious filings person burdened this District for agelong enough,” wrote Leibowitz, adding that Evans’ suit earlier him appeared to beryllium “designed to harass Defendants.”
The justice said Evans had filed 15 pro se cases successful national tribunal since 2025, each of them seemingly frivolous. A pro se lawsuit is 1 filed without an attorney. The justice besides said a bid of 11 meritless filings from Evans seemed to beryllium generated by artificial intelligence.
Evans successful an interrogation disputed the conception that helium is simply a vexatious litigant.
Another colony request
Defazio’s lawyers elaborate claims of intersexual exploitation, affectional harm and furnishing intoxicant to an underage idiosyncratic successful a 2025 missive to Thompson that was filed arsenic an grounds with the Defazio declaration.
Defazio’s attorneys offered to participate into a $7.5 cardinal colony statement with Thompson that would see afloat communal confidentiality, non-disparagement provisions, a waiver of each existent and aboriginal claims, and nary admittance of liability connected Thompson’s part, according to the missive filed with the declaration.
Another declaration filed successful the suit, from a adjacent person of Evans’ named Mark “Andy” Biltz, alleged that Thompson approached Biltz backstage astatine the Luxor “in oregon astir 2023,” grabbed Biltz’s groin, invited Biltz implicit to his location and asked Biltz if helium could ditch Evans. Biltz’s declaration was filed Sept. 6.
Biltz said helium protested that Evans was similar his champion friend.
“Would $5,000 besides beryllium your champion friend?” Biltz said Thompson asked him.
“I said good lone to get him to stop, due to the fact that it was earlier the amusement and I knew helium was astir to instrumentality the stage,” Biltz wrote. “No 1 other saw him drawback me.”
The Metropolitan Police Department did not instantly respond to an enquiry astir whether Biltz filed a constabulary report.
Evans seeks to unwind settlement
Evans claims successful the ailment that helium suffered from PTSD, generalized anxiousness disorder, large depressive upset and insomnia arsenic a effect of the 2023 Maui wildfires. He besides said the fires affected his judgement and “ability to measure analyzable ineligible consequences.”
A intelligence wellness supplier said helium lacked the intelligence capableness to motion immoderate declaration done astatine slightest Sept. 23, 2025, according to a missive filed successful the case.
Evans besides said successful the filing that erstwhile helium made the agreement, helium relied connected Thompson’s representations astir nonrecreational assistance.
“The anticipated nonrecreational assistance did not materialize,” helium wrote.
Evans filed colony documents that helium and Thompson purportedly signed successful 2023 and 2024. According to a colony agreement, Evans sent a signaling to Thompson’s manager successful September 2023 and demanded compensation related to a publication project, the instrumentality of a signed photograph of Charlie Chaplin that Evans had fixed Thompson, and that Thompson not publically disparage Evans.
“The foregoing signaling and consequent correspondence from Evans includes references to an audio-visual signaling of Thompson allegedly engaged successful intersexual enactment that Thompson antecedently sent to Evans,” according to the statement filed by Evans.
Evans signed a nondisclosure statement successful 2023, according to records helium filed.
The vocalist has antecedently been accused of transgression conduct.
The Boston Globe reported that Evans was arrested arsenic a young antheral by constabulary successful the aboriginal 1990s aft impersonating “American Top 40” vigor big Casey Kasem and charging level tickets successful Kasem’s name.
Evans said the impersonation was a drunken prank helium performed with a person and that helium was placed connected probation arsenic a result.
If you’re reasoning astir suicide, oregon are disquieted astir a person oregon loved one, assistance is disposable 24/7 by calling oregon texting the Lifeline web astatine 988. Live chat is disposable astatine 988lifeline.org. Additionally, the Crisis Text Line is simply a free, nationalist work disposable 24/7. Text HOME to 741741.
Contact Spencer Levering astatine slevering@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0253. Contact Noble Brigham astatine nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Review-Journal unit writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report.
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