Shia LaBeouf has been ordered to enrol in substance abuse treatment and undergo drug testing as conditions of his release following an alleged attack at a New Orleans bar. The actor, 39, appeared in court on Thursday where Judge Simone Levine imposed a $100,000 bond and additional requirements, citing the seriousness of the alleged offence.
LaBeouf was arrested on 17 February on two counts of misdemeanour battery after allegedly punching two men and using homophobic slurs at the R Bar in the Marigny district. The judge noted that the homophobic comments were not initially part of the court record when LaBeouf was released without bond shortly after his arrest.
During the hearing, LaBeouf’s lawyer, Sarah Chervinsky, said a subsequent drug and alcohol test showed her client was not under the influence. However, Judge Levine expressed concern that LaBeouf “does not take his alcohol addiction seriously”. The judge also denied a request for LaBeouf to travel to Rome for religious observations, including his father’s baptism.
LaBeouf secured bond from a company called “Free Me”, the same phrase he posted on social media after his arrest. He left court without speaking to reporters, crossing himself and shaking his head as the judge read the allegations. One of the alleged victims, Nathan Thomas Reed, has identified as queer, while the other, Jeffrey Damnit, was wearing makeup at the time of the incident.
Kyle DeVries, president of New Orleans’s Pride Center, welcomed the court’s decision, calling for a public apology from LaBeouf and actions to support the LGBTQ+ community. The district attorney’s office has not yet indicated whether hate crime charges will be pursued.
