The Cannes red carpet security guard who was filmed clashing with singer Kelly Rowland and other attendees has been sued by a Ukrainian model, who claims she was ‘brutally’ restrained by the official.
Sawa Pontyjska also filed a legal complaint against organisers of The Cannes Film Festival because of the alleged assault.
Pontyjska, who is a presenter for FashionTV, told BBC News she was trying to enter the premiere of the French film Marcello Mio with a legitimate ticket when she was restrained.
At the same premiere, Kelly Rowland was engaged in a spat with the staffer.
Documents posted by the model reveal that she has accused staff of ‘physical assault and psychological damage,’ as well as harm to her reputation, and is seeking 100,000 euros (£85,000) in damages.
In the video of the altercation she posted online, the model is seen at the top of the stairs to the Palais des Festivals, with the guard putting her arms around her.
There was a struggle between the two as the staff member tried to usher her inside. Pontyjska pulled away and dropped to the ground before trying to walk away, back down the steps.
However, she was met by more security guards and taken inside the building.
She told BBC News: ‘I was trying to escape from this lock. I went down and I started to run away on the stairs because it was the way back [out].
‘She was trying to push me in[side], so nobody can see what she’s doing with me. Then she kicked me out through the back door.’
The model added that she had a ticket like everyone else and was not doing anything wrong.
She claims she has since attempted to contact organisers to request an apology but is yet to receive a response.
In her legal complaint, she says she was ‘violently challenged’ in front of ‘thousands of people,’ causing her ‘acute pain’ and ‘psychological trauma’.
