Sexually charged assault lawsuit accusing Don Lemon of disgusting, vulgar behavior expected to land in court following long legal process

A lawsuit accusing CNN anchor Don Lemon of sexually charged assault is expected to land in court following what Fox News describes as a "prolonged legal process" that has taken place since the initial 2018 allegations.

What's a brief history here?

In a 2019 lawsuit, former Sag Harbor bartender Dustin Hice said that Lemon — who was visiting a bar in the Hamptons during the summer of 2018 — assaulted him with vulgar, inappropriate touching.

In the suit, Hice said that he saw Lemon at the bar after work. He immediately recognized Lemon as one of CNN's anchors and said that he attempted to get his attention to offer him a drink, but Lemon refused.

Later that evening, Lemon reportedly accosted Hice and assaulted him.

A portion of the suit alleged, "Mr. Lemon, who was wearing a pair of shorts, sandals, and a T-shirt, put his hand down the front of his own shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into Plaintiff's mustache and under Plaintiff's nose."

"Lemon intensely pushed his fingers against Plaintiff's face under Plaintiff's nose, forcing Plaintiff's head thrust backward as Defendant repeatedly asked Plaintiff 'Do you like p***y or d**k?' While saying this, Mr. Lemon continued to shove his fingers into Plaintiff's face with aggression and hostility," the suit added.

Lemon in response to the initial compliant denied all wrongdoing and said that Hice's lawsuit was "frivolous."

In 2019, the New York Post reported that a source close to Lemon told them that the plaintiff in the lawsuit demanded $1.5 million before filing the complaint.

What's happening now?

Hice told Fox News Digital that the suit continues and that, despite a lengthy discovery process, it could end up in court around January 2022.

Hice in 2020 told the outlet that Lemon's purported "vile, disgusting, lewd, and inhumane" behavior would be taken far more seriously if Hice were a woman.

"I'm not doing this for notoriety or fame, I'm doing this because I'm standing up for myself and what I believe in," Hice told Fox News at the time. "I've grown a new respect for people dealing with mental health issues because stress, depression, anxiety, those are all very serious things. It consumed my life."

Fox News reported that neither CNN nor Lemon responded to a request for comment on the pending litigation.