Rick Allen is a Good Dude

Back in 8th grade at my Suburban Cleveland, Public Middle School, there was no more popular band than Def Leppard.

This shirt logo might as well have been the school uniform.

Their hits were the soundtrack to many in my generation.

But in 1984, the drummer of Def Leppard, Rick Allen, was in a serious car accident and lost his arm. Here's a more detailed account from Blabbermouth: "Allen lost his arm after he was thrown through the sunroof of his car, and his left arm got caught in the seatbelt when it came undone during the crash. As a result, the arm was severed from his body. Initially, doctors reattached the arm but they would eventually have to amputate because of an infection. After Rick's life-altering accident, he had to relearn how to play drums and drum manufacturer Simmons worked with him to build a kit. His DEF LEPPARD bandmates stuck with Allen through the difficult time and the drummer persevered through an accident that would have ended most people's careers."

I feel like everyone knows the story of Rick Allen, the one-armed drummer. Allen continued to drum for Def Leppard for another FORTY years, up to, and including today.

By the end of high school, though, I was all-in with the music of Metallica and Anthrax. I think of Allen himself as a high school friend that I lost touch with.

So I was shocked when Rick Allen was attacked in March of 2023. By all accounts, Allen was a good dude, almost universally loved and respected by the Rock Community. From ABC News: "According to police, 19-year-old Max Hartley is accused of assaulting Rick Allen on Monday while Allen was standing outside of the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale smoking a cigarette just a day after the band played at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel. Hartley allegedly came up from behind Allen and threw his head to the ground"...Hartley was arrested, then posted bail.

Charges against Hartley:

4 Counts of Criminal Mischief

2 Counts of Battery, Abusing a Disabled/Senior Adult

You see those last 2 counts? Those are felonies. That is where our article really starts.

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This morning at Consequence of Music:

"'I've been going through some challenging times, kind of related to what happened in Florida,” Allen told host Eddie Trunk (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And that whole thing is kind of ongoing, when I got beaten up outside the hotel [there]. So I’ve been trying to deal with that the best that I can, and really I just needed to take a break from some of the side projects that I was busy with, just so I could spend more time at home. So, that’s been a real challenge for me. Hopefully I can put it all behind me and I can just kind of get back to as normal as I could possibly be given the circumstances. But that was very traumatic for me, and, yeah, it’s been difficult. But hopefully I can put it behind me soon.”

Now I'm sure part of Allen's issues are mental and related to the blows to the head, that seems obvious. But the subtext is Max Hartley. Why isn't he behind bars? Why isn't that aspect of the story over? Because Hartley, well at least his parents, are really rich.

I live 3.5 miles from Hartley's home. At the time of the attack, Hartley was on Spring Break in Florida, and appeared "intoxicated." The Daily Mail was incredulous that a spoiled rich kid from America had attacked English Treasure Rick Allen. They posted pictures of his house and Hartley in his football uniform from when he was attending one of the most expensive private High Schools in the area.

Once Hartley's Parents posted bail, the public record went cold.

But the scuttlebutt is that the Hartley Team is willing to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges and pay a fine. That's why they have lawyered up. They are not willing to plead guilty to any felony charges or serve any jail time. A felony would close doors for Young Max in the future.

Duh.

This is really an open and shut case. No offense to Allen, but he is the definition of disabled, it doesn't matter if he had a special drum kit built so he could keep working. He has one arm. He was standing there, minding his own business, and was randomly assaulted. If the Hartleys weren't loaded, that part Allen's trauma would have been in the past.

I am positive that Allen's lawyers have told him not to talk about the case, on the record, to ANY news or music websites. I am convinced part of Allen's Trauma is the one that his lawyer won't let him talk about, and that's the upcoming trial.

It's been over 2 years now, eventually there will have to be a trial if the two sides are far apart. I hope the prosecutors hold onto those felony charges, that's what Hartley deserves.

What does omnipotent AI have to say about how long it USUALLY takes for a case to go to trial in Florida?

"In Florida, the time from filing to trial in a criminal case can vary significantly, but on average, misdemeanor cases take about 90 days, while felonies can take 180 days or longer. However, several factors can influence these timelines, including case complexity, court workload, and the actions of the parties involved."

Something is abuzz behind closed doors, now for about 750 days and counting....

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My favorite Def Leppard song?

Probably 1981's Bringin' on the Heartbreak.

Do I know more than I'm writing?

End of article.