NFL Heiress Allegedly Attacked Man with Her Purse and Used Anti-Semitic Slurs on New Year's Eve
The socialite daughter of former Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke was arrested Wednesday following an altercation on New Year’s Eve, where she allegedly left a man bloodied after hitting him with her purse.
The New York Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE that Jacqueline Kent Cooke, 29, was charged with second-degree assault.
The incident took place at a restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, when Cooke allegedly made an anti-Semitic remark in the coat check line, police said.
Andrew T. Miltenberg, a lawyer for alleged victim Matthew Haberkorn, tells PEOPLE that Cooke said words to the effect of “Hurry up, Jew” to Haberkorn’s mother while he was using the restroom.
Cooke’s boyfriend also told Haberkorn’s daughters “Happy bat mitzvah,” according to Miltenberg.
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Police said a physical confrontation ensued, with Cooke allegedly striking Haberkorn in the head with her glass clutch. Police added that the man sustained a laceration.
Miltenberg said Haberkorn, a 52-year-old lawyer from the San Francisco Bay Area, and his family’s holiday in New York was ruined due to the incident and that they were all upset by what took place.
In addition to the physical harm caused to Haberkorn’s head, his lawyer said the normally “mellow Californian” is “very distressed.”
“The damage was what you saw in the photo, but it goes beyond that,” Miltenberg said.
He also added that Haberkorn intends to press charges and sue Cooke civilly for what they consider a hate crime and civil rights violation.
It’s unclear if Cooke has entered a plea or retained an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
