NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Miya Ponsetto, the woman dubbed “SoHo Karen” for her false accusations against a Black teen at a Manhattan hotel, has failed to show up to her civil case hearing, angering the presiding judge.
Ponsetto was due in court on Monday and when she was a no show to the virtual hearing, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shlomo Hagler called her actions disrespectful.
“There are ways to deal with this type of situation, and not showing up is one of them,” Hagler said during the hearing.
The incident caused the judge to set a schedule for discovery to be filed for depositions to take place.
Keyon Harrold Jr., the teenage victim, and his father, filed the suit against Ponsetto and other parties which include the Arlo Soho Hotel where the incident occurred last year.
The suit claims Harrold Jr. felt “humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, feelings of racial stigmatization [and] an increased sense of vulnerability,” according to court papers. It also alleges that the hotel “treated plaintiffs differently from other guests and invitees in a place of public accommodation because of their race.”
In December 2020, 23-year-old Ponsetto, a California resident, was caught on video claiming Harrold Jr. stole her phone and then tackling him in the lobby of the hotel.
Ponsetto is facing several charges including unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime in criminal proceedings and may strike a plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office which would allow her to avoid jail time.
Her criminal court case may be what kept her away from her civil hearing, according to Jeffrey Van Etten, a lawyer representing the Arlo and a worker who detained Harrold, the New York Post reported.
Since Ponsetto failed to show up to court, the Harrold family intends to seek a default judgement against her though she could still hire a lawyer and respond to the suit.
According to Ponsetto’s criminal defense lawyer, she has been seeking therapy since the incident. Her next criminal court case hearing is April 11.
The Harrold family is asking for unspecified damages.
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