As first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, referee Alan Maloney, who has been barred from officiating events until the conclusion of a state investigation, sent the notice of tort claim to 12 possible defendants, including the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the school district the wrestling meet took place. Maloney alleges he suffered $100,000 in damages.
“Mr. Maloney properly performed his duties as the referee and fairly applied the rules governing a wrestling match,” Maloney wrote in the notice, his first public remarks since the incident.
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Maloney was also involved in a 2016 incident in which he reportedly used a racial slur toward black colleague Preston Hamilton at a social gathering, reportedly leading Hamilton to tackle him to the ground. While both men were initially suspended by the New Jersey Wrestling Officials Southern Chapter that year, those penalties were eventually lifted upon appeal.
The investigation into whether he acted improperly in making Johnson cut his dreadlocks is ongoing.
Johnson has declined to speak publicly about the incident.
