Johnny Knoxville is being sued for prank which left victim 'traumatized'
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville has been hit with a lawsuit from the victim of a prank who says they were left 'traumatized' by the stunt.
Knoxville is thought to have pulled the prank as part of his upcoming series Prank Patrol, which is set to air on ABC next year.
The show sees Eric Andre and Gabourey Sidibe work alongside Knoxville to prank unsuspecting victims in elaborate and wild scenarios, such as, according to the lawsuit, a repair job that results in violent threats, a dead pony and a drug bust.
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Khalil Khan, who filed the lawsuit, found himself to be a victim of the prank in October after accepting a job on TaskRabbit; the site which allows users to find help with everyday tasks.
According to the complaint, which has been cited by Variety, Khan claimed he went to the home for what he thought was a simple repair job, only to be told by the owner that he would be beaten up if he didn't do it right.
A lamp went out a few minutes after Khan arrived to the home, and a young girl ran into the room screaming 'you killed my pony'. Khan claimed he hadn't done anything, but found himself being led to a room where it appeared a pony was being kept on a life-support machine.
He then allegedly looked out of the window to see his car being towed, after which one of the men held up a bag of white powder and told him not to call the police or he would be arrested for possession of cocaine.
“At this point, Plaintiff was in a panic,” the lawsuit states. “In the span of just minutes, he had been threatened with being beaten up, told he botched the repair job, accused of murdering a pony, had his car taken without his permission, and was now being told that he would be arrested for possession of illicit narcotics.”
Just as Khan's life appeared to crumble around him, Knoxville emerged and revealed the whole thing was a prank.
In the lawsuit, the victim claims he was offered a few hundred dollars for his role in the events, and that he was expected to laugh it off.
However, the suit makes clear 'Plaintiff was not amused, and remains unamused'.
"He has been badly shaken and traumatized by this episode," it said, adding that he had suffered lack of sleep, anxiety and emotional distress as a result of the ordeal.
Khan also fears he'll be subject to 'embarrassment and ridicule' if the footage is released as part of the show.
UNILAD has reached out to representatives for Knoxville for comment.
Topics: Johnny Knoxville, Film and TV
Emily Brown