WILMINGTON — Almost a year after a viral post on social media spurred multiple lawsuits, an ALE investigation and a boycott of a local brewery, a resolution has been reached.
READ MORE: Edward Teach files suit against Brunswick County woman for defamation from viral Facebook post
Tuesday, local performer Madonna Nash apologized publicly to Edward Teach Brewery owner Gary Sholar and its employees, after defamation charges were dropped against her. The apology appeared on her personal social media page, shared by the brewery’s business page as well.
“I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made, and I say it’s time to put this situation behind us,” Nash expressed in multiple paragraphs of regret.
Nash did not respond to Port City Daily’s request for an interview by press. Sholar, however, provided the following statement:
“Truth does not move at the speed of social media,” he told Port City Daily. “We commend Madonna for acknowledging her mistakes and helping set the record straight. That takes courage. It has been a difficult year for the brewery and its employees, but the resolution with Madonna brings hope this holiday season. We’re excited to wrap up 2024 on a high note.”
Sholar filed a defamation lawsuit against the musician last January after her Dec. 29 post garnered thousands of comments and shares accusing him of engaging in inappropriate and threatening behavior during her daughter’s Nov. 16 performance at the brewery. The original post has since been removed.
Nash claimed last year her daughter, Asia Daye Norris, was approached by Sholar while at the mic, stumbled into the singer, grabbed her, and knocked her off balance during a performance. She wrote Sholar “violated her without consent” and touched the performer “around her hips” — the latter part which was deleted after going live. The singer’s friend, Paige Grant, also was in attendance, and in an attempt to get Sholar to leave the performance area, ended up arguing with the owner, according to witnesses.
Nash wrote in her original post Sholar was visibly intoxicated when he grabbed Norris, as well as alleged he threw chairs that hit patrons, drank behind the bar, and discriminated against a “young gay woman.”
Other than admitting being “appreciably impaired” and using tawdry language, Sholar denied the allegations. An 11-second video emerged afterward by an anonymous Facebook account, showing Sholar asking the women to “get out, get out, get out” and saying “you’re a f***ing entitled bitch!”
The brewery owner filed a lawsuit against Nash due to her post’s allegation and sought more than $25,000 in damages. He called Nash’s portrayal of events “wildly inaccurate,” particularly since she wasn’t present on Nov. 16, which Nash also admitted in her apology Tuesday.
Nash wrote in her post she “made mistakes” in her assessment of the situation last year and “made things sound worse than they were.”
Sholar faced misdemeanor charges for two counts of assault on a female and two counts of communicating threats, as filed by Norris and Paige Grant on Jan. 6, 2024 in self-initiated warrants. The district attorney’s office eventually dropped the charges.
Yet, the Alcohol Law Enforcement also opened a case and swore out a warrant against Sholar for disorderly conduct on a licensed premise, assault on a female and communicating threats, and failure to supervise conduct on licensed premise. As well, he was found in violation of North Carolina Administrative Code for intoxication by permittee prohibited, disorderly conduct prohibited, and intoxicated persons.
Sholar pleaded guilty to failing to superintend a business for which an ABC permit was issued and took an Alford plea to being a permittee and allowing disorderly conduct on the premises; both are misdemeanors. An Alford plea consists of a defendant accepting guilt without admitting wrongdoing. Usually, an Alford plea comes when the prosecution has enough evidence to hold a party accountable.
The brewery owner received six months of probation, had to pay a $100 fine, and complete the ALE’s Responsible Sellers Course, a training program on alcohol sales and service laws in North Carolina.
The administrative code violations require a negotiated settlement, to which Sholar’s lawyer Thomas Varnum with Brooks and Pierce didn’t address Tuesday upon PCD’s questioning whether it was resolved.
According to the brewery’s lawsuit against her, 28 aspects of Nash’s original post qualified as defamation.
“I want to make it clear that no sexual assault, or anything like it, happened. I realize my post was read that way and I didn’t mean to suggest it,” Nash wrote Tuesday. “That’s on me.”
She said she didn’t have the full story from what happened that night and since the fallout had “thoroughly gone through the events” on both sides. Video of that night from the brewery’s camera system had been recorded over, according to ETB staff last year. However, detailed accounts of what happened appeared in the lawsuit and in signed affidavits from Edward Teach employees and patrons.
One affidavit signed by Noah Powell indicated: “The friend who was there with Asia basically charged at Sholar aggressively. The woman was very animated and excited.”
Another affidavit signed by Logan Chaucer stated “the friend” grabbed Sholar to push him away from the microphone and the performer.
Nash added in her apology post that, after hearing of the incident, her mothering instincts took over, compelling her to stand up for her daughter. But, thereafter, when she learned certain aspects of the story had been “omitted … not due to any action on Asia’s part,” she had a change of heart.
Nash specifically calls out her daughter’s friend, who she claims first “pushed the brewery’s owner, before anything escalated that night” and also initiated the verbal dispute.
“In hindsight, I should not have trusted what Asia’s friend told me, and I should not have posted anything,” Nash wrote.
“I didn’t consider the impact it might have or the harm it might cause, and unfortunately, every party involved ended up getting hurt in some way,” she added.
PCD asked Varnum if any conditions existed for Sholar to drop the charges against Nash and if her apology letter had input from the Edward Teach owner or staff.
“I can confirm that the claims against Ms. Nash have been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and that happened today,” he answered. “I can also confirm that Ms. Nash was not paid anything for her apology or cooperation.”
In her apology, Nash asked for the boycott of Edward Teach beer to stop; more than a dozen bars, restaurants and retail outlets had pulled the brand from its shelves last winter upon the post going viral.
It also led to one man, Erik Peterson who used to work for Edward Teach, placing stickers of a QR code on cans of ET product at an area Harris Teeter. The code would take users to a Facebook page authored by Peterson, claiming “The Edward Teach owner (Gary Sholar) is a terrible person.” It also provided a hyperlink to Nash’s Facebook post.
Sholar filed a lawsuit against Peterson as well for defamation and product tampering but eventually dropped it after Peterson issued an apology letter, calling his actions “misguided.”
PCD asked Varnum for input on how Edward Teach has bounced back since the boycott, though an answer was not received.
The lawsuit against Nash indicated her post was a “call to arms” for performers not to play in the brewery’s taproom any longer. Live music stopped for a brief stint but has started again since.
“There is no need to boycott them and no benefit from it,” Nash wrote in her apology. “Edward Teach is still a great place to visit, enjoy, and perform. I know you miss the Teaches Peaches! Me too!! I hope to see such a great product back on shelves and in restaurants soon.”
Nash added that she and Sholar were partnering up on a charity event in the near future. According to Sholar, it will happen next month in the taproom.
“It’s time to come together, forgive, and move forward in a positive direction,” he wrote to PCD. “It’s wonderful that folks can still do that in our community, no matter how negative things may get online. We thank Madonna and look forward to our special event in January.”
CATCH UP ON ALL REPORTING REGARDING THE INCIDENT:
- Edward Teach files suit against former employee, now Flying Machine manager, for product tampering
- ‘You need to get out of the building tonight’: Local brewery evacuates after threatening calls
- Edward Teach files suit against Brunswick County woman for defamation from viral Facebook post
- Edward Teach owner charged with 2 counts each of assault on female, communicating threats from citizen-initiated warrants
- ALE charges brewery owner with criminal violations, also finds Edward Teach operated on expired permit
- DA’s office drops citizen-initiated warrant charges on Edward Teach owner, plea entered on ALE charges
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