Haely White, a content creator and comedian, has been sued by The Abbey, a popular West Hollywood gay bar, after she reportedly took to social media on Aug. 3 claiming she was drugged by one or more of its bartenders.
White told followers that she visited the bar on the evening of July 29, and became ill after leaving her drink unattended at the bar. She claimed to have consumed half of that drink before beginning to vomit. White claimed she vomited continuously throughout the night, and believed she had been "roofied" by Abbey staff.
The 38-year-old influencer, who boasts over 21,000 followers on Instagram, has since retracted the claim. "I removed my posts last week regarding my comments about The Abbey," she wrote in a post published Saturday. "After The Abby provided me with new information, including the opportunity to review the video, I now want to correct the record and clarify what happened."
White went on to explain that after reviewing security camera footage captured at the bar the evening of July 29, she no longer believed anyone affiliated with The Abbey was responsible for her sudden illness.
"I apologize to any Abbey employees who've been negatively impacted or threatened in the wake of my comments," she wrote, adding that she was still looking into the cause of her unexplained reaction.
Nevertheless, the owners of The Abbey have proceeded to sue White, claiming they lost business due to her Aug. 3 statements. They are asking for more than $5 million in damages, according to the West Hollywood news blog WeHoville.
WeHoville reported the bar owners and White came to a settlement agreement in which she would remove her accusatory posts and publish a "corrective statement." The lawsuit said White breached that agreement "almost immediately," and "defiantly continued to propagate her false claims" even after reviewing security footage.
White's is not the first accusation of drugging to hit The Abbey. In 2013, two women filed a $10 million lawsuit against the bar, alleging they were drugged by employees.
After publishing her Aug. 3 statements, White also claimed she received comments and messages on Instagram from other people who believed they had been drugged on Abbey premises. Copies of White's posts made their way onto TikTok, where The Daily Dot reported that numerous commenters relayed similar experiences.