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Los Angeles gay bar The Abbey has launched a lawsuit against Haely White, a woman who publicly accused a bartender at the venue of drugging her.
The story began on July 29 when White visited The Abbey. On August 3, she took to social media to make the accusation that she was “severely drugged by a bartender.” She also encouraged her followers to “spread the word.”
Now Newsweek reports that a thorough review of security footage of July 29 did not reveal the bartender to have drugged White’s cocktail. White had initially agreed to change her social media post and correct her statement by August 14.
White did release a statement August 15 conceding that the bottles used to mix her cocktail did not appear to be tampered with in any way. She also noted that other patrons had ordered drinks mixed with the same liquor bottles, and did not have an adverse reaction. No other patrons reported being drugged that night.
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“I believe [The Abbey’s] actions demonstrate that they are concerned about the safety of their patrons and take measures to make their establishment safe,” she wrote in a lengthy statement on social media.
White then posted a follow-up statement to Instagram which again appeared to imply that she had been drugged at The Abbey.
“I also have NEVER felt so sick in my life with one exception — when I was roofied many years ago…” she wrote in a now-deleted post.
The Abbey has now filed a lawsuit in the matter, suing White for defamation, trade libel, breach of contract and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
White, for her part, continues to deny wrongdoing.
“The Abbey’s lawsuit against me is nothing more than bullying and victim shaming,” White said in a statement to Newsweek. “I had resolved the situation with them by issuing a corrective statement that they signed off on and that I still stand behind—yet in an act of bad faith they turned around and sued me despite my doing what they asked, even though everything I’ve said since then is consistent with the corrective statement. This is nothing more than an effort to silence me.”
White also released a lengthy statement on Instagram, also accusing The Abbey of bullying.
“At this point, they’ve chosen to make me a scapegoat, reduced my ability to talk, and acted in bad faith,” the statement read in part. “If this isn’t abundantly clear: this is the WORST kind of victim shaming there is. Abbey: Is this how you treat customers? Shame on you.”
The case remains ongoing.
Chrisk
They proved with video that you made it all up and you retracted your accusation. There are penalties against those that slander a business with lies and your dumb ass is about to find out.
Unfortunetly she’s not a unique customer at the abbey. Plenty of smug self important hoes that go there.
MacAdvisor
I suspect the Abbey’s lawsuit will be thrown out under California’s rather strict Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). Ms. White’s comment was clearly her personal opinion, not a factual statement, and is likely protected speech under California’s more protective Free Speech laws. I am not suggesting what she says is right or proper. I’ve always enjoyed my time at the Abbey, but trying to punish someone for expressed public opinions is not permissible under California law.
Cam
@MacAdvisor
Except her “opinion” wasn’t about the food or atmosphere or service at the bar. She was saying the bar was responsible for a crime committed against her. That absolutely is not protected speech if it’s a lie and she is in trouble if she can’t prove this. Which is sounds like she can’t.
LumpyPillows
Believe women, when they have proof. Women, like men, lie, cheat and steal. For every nice woman out there, there is a Karen. Next thing they will tell me is she was with a bridal party in a gay bar and didn’t tip the go-go boys (for my stalkers, yes this is tongue in cheek). Very unhelpful to women who really have been victimized and why they tended to not be believed in the past. How the pendulum swings.
Wicked Dickie
Yeah, I would sue her also. She was quick to name the bar as where she was drugged, and even after being proven wrong, SHE is the one trying to bully the bar by playing victim yet again.
Fahd
It’s not a strange reversal, it’s protecting their business, and yes, they are trying to stop you from defaming them. Her “follow-up statement” was a bad idea. I feel sorry for whoever’s money she is spending on “her team” and all this negative attention seeking.
DCFarmboy
She needs to get a good lawyer like Rudy or Sidney.
Openminded
This woman obviously refuses to accept responsibility for any of her actions. Video proves the bar did nothing wrong, yet she somehow got plastered, sick, or something so it has to be the bars fault in her mind. Even after being shown the proof that the bar did nothing wrong, she continues to defame them, then wonders why they are bringing a lawsuit against her. Even her last social media post is fishing for “anybody else who has been silenced by The Abbey”. She ain’t stepping down and neither should the bar. They should sue her for more than she’s worth and get back some of the money they have to spend on security cameras that are installed for just this kind of situation.
Liquid Silver
Oh, just sue her into the ground. If you’re going to lie, you deserve what you get.
dirtypierre
Social media brings out the attention whores.
Vince
Ha. I commented on her Instagram and she blocked me. She only allows comments that side with her.
JB
People who live in L.A. do love their drama. They constantly invite it into their lives. Ms. White must not be getting many auditions, so she is using The Abbey and social media to help her get noticed.
M K
The biggest problem with this reporting is calling The Abbey a gay bar…. It’s been years since this venue was a real gay bar.
UlfRaynor
Boy, you got that one right. Right before Covid, during a layover in LA, we went with group of friends who live in LA. Several of us went up to the bar to order some drinks, and couldn’t get the male bartender covering that end of the bar to serve us, he kept bypassing us for every female that came up to the bar.
We got fed up with waiting and left. We ended up going to the Faultline and had a great time, which, sadly I hear has since closed its doors.
Will never go to the Abbey again.
Vince
The abbey is great if you’re looking for a hot straight guy to have some fun with. Of course most are just gay guys on the down low. Yes the bartenders are mostly straight and you’ll often get a cold reception unless your female. It’s always been that way. I think even the go go boys are pretty straight.
I’ve aged out of all these games but if you’re on the younger side it can be fun I guess. I certainly liked it back in the day.
I used to sometime party with the owner David Cooley back in the 2000s. Think studio 54 after hour parties. Allot of drugs and allot of fun.
Cam
She probably hit on the bartender and he blew her off, or she was mad because it was a gay bar and she wasn’t getting any attention, or she’s a homophobe etc.
Glad the bar is suing.
lakawak
They have no shot at winning. If she had reason to think she was drugged, that is an ultimate defense. And her latest Instagram post does not in any way imply that she still thinks she was drugged.
The bar will be lucky if they are not forced to pay her legal fees for this frivolous lawsuit.
Jim
I suspect the bar has better lawyers then she does.
Cam
Except you’re wrong. She said a crime was committed against her and the bar is responsible. No different than if she posted online that she was robbed and named a person who had proof they didn’t do it.
If she is smart she’ll settle because she’ll lose in court.
Caliboy
lakawak
This self centered attention whore originally publicly accused on social media a bartender from the Abbey of drugging her. The Abbey then shows her the security footage that proves she wasn’t drugged by the bartender and asks her to recant her original (now shown to be false) allegations against the bar. She then enters into an agreement, but does not keep to that agreement and continues to cause financial damage, so they decide to sue her. Now she’s claiming that they are trying to victim shame her.
In a defamation case all they have to do is show that she’s making shit up and it’s causing their business harm.
De Gueb
Ms. Haely what is there wasn’t cameras. What if that night they weren’t working or had been knocked by the cleaners and not trained on the bar. As a single man who dates frequently, an sometimes gets lucky I can’t tell you that I’m sick and tired of stories like yours. So you went out got drunk or whatever and you blew a few guys in the back room. Own up!! The situation is so bad that now I have cameras in my house. Not the ones from the alarm company but ones that are stored on a local server in my house. Why, because one day I picked up a lady in a bar, we both had a bit to drink, went home. The next day when she had to explain to her hubby she acuesd me and the bar tender of working together to drug her…… Long story and severall 10s of thousands later it was all overturned and she got a divorce. I have cameras everywhere and only take girls back to my place. The negative is that she got away free and the bartender and me could have done time to accuse is free.
Jim
A media whore lying to get attention? Who would have thought?
Seth
The weight of her professional victimhood must just be hell on her back because look what it did to her face.
bambamboom777
It’s about time that individuals and businesses start fighting back against false allegations. We’ve become a society where all it takes is an allegation to bring someone down. Making a false allegation or one without a reasonable level of evidence should not only make the accuser eligible for civil lawsuits, but there need to be criminal penalties as well. People’s lives get ruined by false allegations and the accusers usually suffer no consequences. This is not right. The criminal penalties for making false accusations should be equivalent to the sentencing for the crime they are accusing their victims of.
JohnnyBoy2
Agreed. One example is the “Believe Women” slogan. As if women never lie.
Tombear
I’m a victim. I’m a victim. I’m a victim, did you get that? I’m a victim!
decampbell
Just another reason why we don’t want straight girls in gay bars.
hist68
We are not here for their entertainment, we are not an accessory! I’m starting to feel like a lot of straight women who claim to be allies are not actually allies…
tjack47
This witch!
IanHunter
I don’t know if she was looking for attention, or she was somehow drugged by a patron of the bar. They showed that it didn’t happen at the bar. I just don’t see a bartender at the Abbey doing this. It is too good a job to risk losing.
hist68
Plus why would a bartender drug a patron? They are stuck behind the bar until the end of the shift by the time they are done working I’m assuming the drugged person would have been discovered or helped or horribly, already taken advantage of.
hrnpip
Um, who tf is she and why does she have, let alone need, a team to be consulted? Smells fishy, to coin a phrase.
Gay Thomas
Attention whore f*cked around and found out. Stay out of our bars, bitch.
Mostlikelytobedownvoted
Considering that this is part of her original Instagram statement: “It doesn’t take more than a Google search (try ‘Abbey weho rape’) to learn about what’s been going on there FOR YEARS… If that’s not enough, I found other common themes: 1) Rampant overcharges + 2) Wallets & phones regularly stolen. And people still go and they stay in business? HOW IS THIS PLACE STILL IN BUSINESS?” She ended the post by saying, “Join me in boycotting this establishment.” ….Im sorry but this spoiled lying b*tch deserves that lawsuit and more.
hist68
According to the lawsuit a lot of her story does not match the video. She claimed to have never left her drink unattended but according to the lawsuit the video shows her turning her back and even dancing away from her drink. The drink is never tampered with. She also claimed she didn’t drink prior but they said she had at least one drink at dinner. Her entire visit is accounted for on video except for 11 min when she and a friend go to the bathroom. Maybe she took something in the bathroom? This is just another example of a privileged white woman weaponizing victimhood.
hotdogla
Go next door to Pump, the service at PUMP is impeccable.
JohnnyBoy2
Also, she says they are blaming the victim. wrong. You were not victimized, Haely. Did you take some medication before boozing it up? Could that have been what happened?