Miami, Florida – In a development that has sent shockwaves through the boxing world, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis is embroiled in yet another high-profile legal battle. On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Courtney Rossel, a 28-year-old VIP cocktail waitress at Miami's Tootsies Cabaret, filed a civil lawsuit against the 30-year-old Baltimore native in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court. The complaint accuses Davis of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, stemming from an alleged violent incident at the strip club earlier that week and a pattern of abuse during their five-month romantic relationship.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages along with a jury trial, paints a harrowing picture of escalating abuse. Rossel claims she first met Davis in 2022 through mutual connections in Miami's nightlife scene, but their intimate involvement began around May 2025. What started as a private romance quickly deteriorated, according to the 15-page filing obtained by ESPN and TMZ Sports. Rossel alleges at least four prior physical assaults, including two instances where Davis choked her and issued death threats.
One particularly alarming episode unfolded on September 2, 2025, when Davis reportedly grew enraged after Rossel failed to respond promptly to his calls and texts. Court documents detail a message from Davis reading, "I’ll kill you," which Rossel interpreted as a direct threat to her life. Less than three weeks later, on September 23, the tension boiled over at Playa Miami, a trendy restaurant in the Lincoln Road Shopping District. Rossel accuses Davis of publicly accusing her of infidelity before physically assaulting her, again choking her in front of witnesses. "His hands were around my throat, and I couldn't breathe," the complaint quotes Rossel as saying, emphasizing the public humiliation she endured.
The lawsuit's centerpiece is the alleged attack on October 27, 2025 – just four days before the filing and less than three weeks before Davis's scheduled exhibition bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on November 14 at Miami's Kaseya Center. Rossel was working the early morning shift at Tootsies, a sprawling 35,000-square-foot venue known as one of the largest gentlemen's clubs in the U.S., when Davis allegedly arrived unannounced around 4:15 a.m. According to the suit, he located her in a VIP lounge lacking surveillance cameras, forcibly grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her through a stairwell, the kitchen, and out a back entrance into the employee parking garage.
Once isolated in the dimly lit garage, Rossel claims Davis escalated the assault: choking her repeatedly, pushing her against vehicles, pulling her hair, and striking the back of her head with a closed fist. "I was terrified, humiliated, and in excruciating pain, all in front of my coworkers and staff," the document states. Photos attached to the complaint reportedly show bruising on her neck, arms, and scalp, corroborating her account. Approximately an hour after the incident, Davis allegedly sent another text: "I’m on my way! Yo ya house," which Rossel's attorneys argue was a veiled threat implying further violence at her residence.
The emotional toll described in the lawsuit is profound. Rossel, who has since relocated to live with family and friends for safety, reports suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe anxiety, and chronic fear. She has undergone medical evaluations for physical injuries, including whiplash and soft-tissue damage, and is receiving ongoing therapy. "I live in constant terror that he will find me again," the filing quotes her as saying. Her legal team, led by Richard C. Wolfe of Wolfe Law Miami and Jeff C. Chukwuma of Chukwuma Law Group, argues that Davis's status as a professional boxer – with his exceptional strength and training – amplifies the danger of his actions, making each assault "uniquely devastating."
This is far from Davis's first brush with such allegations. The undefeated fighter (30-0-1, 28 KOs) has a documented history of legal troubles involving violence against women, dating back to 2017. In February 2020, he was arrested for simple battery/domestic violence after video footage from a charity basketball game in Coral Gables showed him grabbing an ex-girlfriend by the neck and dragging her from the stands. The charges were later dropped when the victim recanted. Another arrest followed in December 2022 on similar domestic battery charges, though details remain sealed. More recently, in July 2025, Davis was taken into custody in Miami Beach after the mother of two of his three children accused him of punching her in the head and slapping her during a child custody exchange on Father's Day. That misdemeanor case was dismissed in August when the accuser and a witness refused to cooperate with prosecutors.
Beyond domestic issues, Davis pleaded guilty in 2023 to a hit-and-run crash in Baltimore that injured four people, including a pregnant woman. He served 90 days of house arrest, three years of probation, and performed community service, but violated terms by serving an additional 44 days in jail. Rossel's attorneys reference this "propensity for violence" in their complaint, urging the court to consider it as evidence of a pattern.
A spokesperson for the Miami Gardens Police Department confirmed to TMZ Sports that a report was filed on October 29 naming Davis as a suspect in the October 27 incident, but no formal charges have been announced as of November 1. The investigation is ongoing, with detectives reviewing witness statements and any available club footage – though the VIP lounge area reportedly lacks cameras. Davis's representatives have not issued a public statement, citing the ongoing legal matter. However, his longtime trainer, Calvin Ford, dismissed the suit as "nonsense" in a brief comment to reporters outside a Miami gym, adding, "We're trying to see where it's coming from."
The timing could not be more precarious for Davis, whose exhibition match against Paul – billed as a clash of boxing's elite and social media's provocateur – is set to stream live on Netflix from the Kaseya Center on November 14. The bout, originally slated for Atlanta's State Farm Arena, was relocated to Miami in September amid permitting issues. Promoted as a 195-pound catchweight spectacle, it features Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in his second Netflix event following his November 2024 win over Mike Tyson. Davis, a three-division champion and pound-for-pound contender, enters with a perfect record aside from a controversial March 2025 draw against Lamont Roach Jr.
Yet, the allegations have ignited speculation about the fight's viability. Sources close to the event told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that Netflix and Paul's Most Valuable Promotions team are "exploring replacement opponents" due to the civil suit and a police investigation. Social media buzz, including posts from boxing insiders and fans, has amplified concerns over low ticket sales and brand risks for the streaming giant. One X post from @ChampRDS garnered over 1,100 likes, warning, "The Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis fight is now in limbo." Potential alternatives floated include Darren Till or even a rescheduling, though Paul's camp has remained silent.
Women's advocacy groups have seized on the story, decrying the sports industry's tolerance for such patterns. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reported a 15% uptick in calls from South Florida in the 48 hours following the lawsuit's leak, attributing it partly to heightened awareness. Experts like Dr. Elena Vasquez, a Miami-based trauma psychologist, note that high-profile cases like this can empower survivors but also retraumatize them if not handled sensitively. "Athletes in power positions must be held accountable; silence enables cycles of abuse," she told local reporters.
As Davis continues training – spotted sparring at a private facility on October 31 – the boxing community grapples with broader implications. Promoters like Eddie Hearn have publicly questioned whether the sport should impose stricter conduct clauses in contracts. For Rossel, the fight for justice is just beginning. Her attorneys vow to pursue every avenue, including a possible restraining order. Whether this derails Davis's career remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the "Tank" once unstoppable in the ring now faces an opponent far tougher than any in the squared circle – accountability.
