(WXIN/WTTV) — Two Indiana Pacers fans have sued the Milwaukee Bucks and Patrick Beverley after the point guard threw a ball into the stands of Gainbridge Fieldhouse during an NBA playoff game last year in downtown Indy.
In a lawsuit filed last Friday in Marion County Superior Court, two Pacers fans claim they experienced medical expenses, mental anguish, humiliation and lost wages after an incident during the 2024 matchup between Indiana and Milwaukee.
The lawsuit names Beverley, the Bucks organization and former Milwaukee assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer as defendants. The suit stems from an incident between Beverley and the two fans during the fourth quarter of a Bucks’ 120-98 playoff loss to the Pacers on May 2, 2024.
The ball-throwing incident
Video from the game that was posted on social media and televised nationally showed Bucks center Brook Lopez walking to the bench as Beverley held a basketball in the corner of the screen. Beverley then hurled the ball into the stands.
Initially, the ball thrown by Beverley strikes a woman sitting near the court in her head. A fan sitting near the woman then lobs the ball back to the Bucks point guard before Beverley again throws an aggressive chest pass into the stands. The second half can be seen below.
#BREAKING: IMPD confirms it is investigating this incident involving Milwaukee Bucks player Patrick Beverley where he threw the ball at some fans during the Pacers game last Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. pic.twitter.com/GhTYU8ZLjB
— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) May 8, 2024
Beverley then takes a seat. He appears to jaw with some other fans in the crowd. The incident led security at the venue to intervene.
The point guard never again entered the game, with the Pacers ultimately winning to advance to the second round of the playoffs — the team’s first playoff series win in 10 years.
However, the instigator’s antics weren’t done.
After the game, Beverley refused to talk to an ESPN reporter who said she wasn’t subscribed to his podcast. He eventually pushed the woman’s microphone away before telling her to leave the press pool.
Suspension, criminal investigation
The NBA levied a four-game suspension against Beverley in the aftermath of the incident. However, the defensive-minded guard has yet to complete the suspension after his 2024 offseason decision to leave the Bucks and sign a contract to play professional basketball in Israel.
The NBA cited both the “forceful” ball-throwing incident and the “inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability” as reasons for the suspension in a news release posted to social media. Beverley was not fined by the league.
On an episode of his podcast released in the aftermath of the game, Beverley admitted what he did was wrong.
“It was an unfortunate incident that never should have happened,” he said. “What I did was bad.”
Around a week after the incident, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced that detectives were investigating Beverley’s actions to determine if he broke the law. In August 2024, IMPD confirmed no criminal charges would be filed against Beverley.
“After a thorough review of law enforcement’s investigation, it has been determined that criminal charges will not be filed in this matter,” the Marion County prosecutor’s office said.
However, in a statement sent last August, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said the possibility of civil suits being filed against Beverley was still open. Last week, that possibility became reality.
‘Call Bobby Portis a motherf***er’
Jessica Simmons of Hamilton County and Katie Lanciotti of Hancock County — identified as the two Pacers fans involved in the interaction with Beverley — filed a civil lawsuit on Feb. 21, 2025, asking a court to rule on damages allegedly caused by the point guard’s actions.
The lawsuit claims the fans suffered “physical pain,” emotional distress, “humiliation, embarrassment and anguish,” medical expenses, lost wages and more due to the incident.
The filing details how Simmons and Lanciotti attended the game separately but were both seated in the general vicinity of the Bucks bench. The two women claim that during the game the Pacers “dominated” the Bucks, causing assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer to verbally attack and provoke nearby Indiana fans.
“I’ll give you $1,000 if you tell Bobby Portis he’s a motherf***er,” Oppenheimer is quoted as saying in an attempt to provoke and rile up the fans.
The fans claim that the verbal taunts from Milwaukee’s bench continued late into the fourth quarter. By that time, the Pacers’ victory was evident and Beverley had checked out of the game having scored just six points in 40 minutes of play.
“Shortly thereafter, Beverley walked to the end of the bench and secured a basketball that was nearby,” the suit reads. “He turned his eyes and attention to the spectators behind the Bucks’ bench and made the decision to engage in grossly inappropriate conduct.”
Specifically, the suit claims that Beverley threw the ball “directly” into the side of Lanciotti’s head hard enough to break the necklace that she was wearing. Lanciotti reportedly experienced immediate pain and soreness as a result of being hit with the ball.
A fan then retrieved the ball and passed it back to Beverley, who was motioning that he wanted the ball returned and reportedly mouthed “My bad” toward the crowd. However, once receiving the ball, Beverley again launched it into the stands.
The lawsuit claims the point guard threw the ball “even harder this time” with the intent to hit another Pacers fan. Beverley was reportedly successful, hitting Simmons in her chest and face with the ball.
Simmons also reportedly suffered immediate pain and soreness after being hit by the ball. Beverley then had to be restrained by teammates and was ordered to sit down on the bench.
Aftermath
The lawsuit claims that Simmons, her husband and at least two other fans were then escorted from the arena in a “perp walk” fashion, despite having done nothing to prompt Beverley’s actions. The fans were allegedly told by Gainbridge Fieldhouse staff to fill out written statements for security personnel, while Beverley and Oppenheimer were allowed to remain on the court.
During this time, Simmons reportedly had trouble catching her breath and experienced other “significant physical symptoms.” EMS crews were called to the scene and allegedly concluded that Simmons’ blood pressure was “extremely high” and that she was distraught.
As a result of the incident, Lanciotti and Simmons both reportedly suffered from the following:
- Physical Pain and suffering;
- Emotional and mental distress;
- Humiliation, embarrassment and anguish;
- Medical expenses;
- Lost work hours/wages;
- Compensatory and punitive damages.
The fans’ lawsuit claims that Beverley’s actions “constitute a rude, insolent or angry touching resulting in tortious Battery and harmful and offensive contact.” The suit states that his actions were “grossly negligent, willful and wanton, and intentional.”
The suit also claims that the fans were placed in “false light” and defamed after the incident due to Beverley falsely making claims about what led up to the ball-throwing. Several times after the game, the point guard publicly said that the fans had used racial slurs toward him. Both fans state this is inaccurate.
The filing ends by asking the court to grant “compensatory and punitive” damages in their favor against the Bucks, Oppenheimer and Beverley. The plaintiffs are asking for adequate compensation for their losses and proper relief for the alleged improprieties.
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to the Milwaukee Bucks about the lawsuit and officials said the organization has no comment at this time. To read a full copy of the lawsuit, click here.