Boxer Mayweather Faces Trial for Battery in Las Vegas
A February trial date has been set for boxer Floyd Mayweather's misdemeanor charge of allegedly committing the Nevada crime of battery. He's been accused of poking a security officer in November during a confrontation about a parking ticket. Mayweather is out on his own recognizance.
The Nevada crime of battery is when someone uses unlawful physical force on another person, such as punching or shoving. Common defenses include lack of intent (accident), self-defense, and consent. Battery is a different crime from assault, which is causing someone "apprehension of physical force" such as making your hand into a fist and threatening you're going to punch.
Penalties for the Nevada crime of battery range from very lax to very serious depending on the circumstances of the case. If no one gets hurt and no deadly weapon is involved, it's usually just a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and/or up to $1,000 in fines. But if the battery caused substantial bodily harm, involved a deadly weapon or was committed with the intent to rape, then it's a felony carrying several years in prison and high fines.
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