A Manhattan Beach man has settled his lawsuit against two men in which he alleged that one of the defendants ran over the plaintiff twice in a supermarket parking lot in 2020 following a dispute over mask wearing.
Attorneys for plaintiff William Todd Robinson filed court papers Thursday with Inglewood Superior Court Judge Ronald F. Frank asking that his case against Alan Boeke and Ronald Stevenson be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled. The court papers do not state the terms of the accord.
Boeke and Stevenson are identified in the suit as spouses and Boeke is the defendant who allegedly hit Robinson with his car.
Robinson, 70, and Boeke, 76, were separately shopping at the Vons store on Manhattan Beach Boulevard in Manhattan Beach on Oct. 2, 2020, before the incident, according to the suit.
“Robinson was not wearing a surgical or protective mask while he was shopping and was, in fact, shopping for masks among other items because he had exhausted his supply,” the suit states.
Upon seeing Robinson without a mask, Boeke “engaged in verbal harassment and assault” of the plaintiff, the suit states. Although Robinson tried to ignore Boeke, the defendant became increasingly loud and belligerent, according to the suit.
“Eventually, plaintiff responded in kind, which led to an exchange of insults between the parties,” the suit stated.
Calm appeared to have been restored when a Vons employee gave Robinson a mask and the two men went to different cashier lines. However, as Robinson left the store and reached the parking lot, he saw Boeke driving directly at him, the suit states. Robinson tried to avoid being hit, but Boeke turned his vehicle toward him, striking the plaintiff with the front of the defendant’s car, according to the suit.
Robinson fell and was run over by the driver-side front and rear wheels of Boeke’s car, then Boeke backed up the vehicle and again ran over the plaintiff’s legs while he was still on the ground, the suit alleged.
Boeke then sped out of the parking lot and onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard, the suit states. A Vons worker standing near the front doors of the store took a photo of Boeke’s vehicle, which matched the description of the vehicle Robinson later gave to Manhattan Beach police, the suit stated.
Robinson believes that shortly after the incident, Boeke and Stevenson, 74, transferred their interest in their Manhattan Beach residence to limit the assets from which the plaintiff could get compensation for his injuries, the suit stated.
Robinson incurred expenses for medicines, X-rays and other medical supplies and services, according to the complaint.