FLORENCE, S.C. — Social media food critic Trayvon Turner, known online as Ben-A-Critic, has filed a lawsuit against Florence restaurant Percy & Willie’s Food & Spirits, its parent company, and several members of its management team following a confrontation that was captured on video and widely shared online.
The lawsuit, filed in Florence County on June 12, stems from an incident that occurred on May 3 while Turner was visiting the restaurant to create content for his food review platforms.
According to court documents, Turner was asked to leave the establishment after staff informed him that video recording was not permitted inside the restaurant.
Turner alleges that after he questioned why he was being removed instead of simply being asked to stop recording, the situation escalated. The complaint claims that restaurant representatives physically pushed him out of the business, falsely accused him of assault, and temporarily prevented him from leaving the property by blocking his vehicle.
The lawsuit names Neel Lands LLC, which operates Percy & Willie’s, along with owner William Hal Neel III, operating partner Jeffrey Chamblee, general manager Andrew Davis, and service manager Tracy Counts as defendants.
Turner is seeking damages on multiple claims, including assault, battery, defamation, false imprisonment, negligence, negligent training, negligent supervision, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit also alleges that race may have played a role in the incident. Turner, who is Black, claims the restaurant’s no-recording policy was not enforced equally and that non-Black patrons had previously been allowed to record inside the establishment.
The confrontation gained widespread attention after Turner posted video footage of the encounter to social media. The footage quickly circulated online, generating hundreds of thousands of views and sparking debate about customer rights, content creation in private businesses, and how restaurants handle disputes with patrons.
According to local media reports, police responded to the incident but made no arrests. A police investigation reportedly did not result in criminal charges.
Representatives for Percy & Willie’s have stated that they had not yet been formally served with the lawsuit at the time of publication. Restaurant ownership has previously maintained that staff acted appropriately during the encounter and disputed allegations of wrongdoing.
The case is expected to proceed through the South Carolina court system, where a jury could ultimately determine whether the restaurant and its management bear legal responsibility for the events described in Turner’s complaint.
As the lawsuit moves forward, the case is likely to attract continued attention from both the legal community and social media audiences, particularly given the growing influence of digital content creators in the restaurant industry.
Video Credit: WPDE ABC15 NEWS